By Tim Binnall
A new survey out of Russia found that a whopping 79% of the country's residents believe in the existence of aliens. The peculiar poll was reportedly conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, which enlisted 1,606 people to share their opinions on extraterrestrials. Although they did not provide specific numbers, the organization noted that there was something of a generational split among those who believe in the existence of aliens, with younger participants being more skeptical and older respondents expressing openness to the possibility.
Interestingly, the survey also found that 46% of Russian residents think that ETs may already be secretly observing the human race unbeknownst to the proverbial 'powers that be' here on the planet. This perspective was also found in the responses to the question of what aliens might do if they were to discover the planet, as 61% responded that they would merely watch over us without intervening in human affairs. Meanwhile, 19% of those polled thought the ETs would attempt to establish peaceful contact, and 10% expressed concern that the visitors would initiate an invasion of Earth.
In a delightfully weird question posed to participants, the survey asked what book they would share with aliens to convey our culture. 'War and Peace' topped the list with 15%, followed by the Bible at nine percent, and both 'Crime and Punishment' and '1984' were recommended by 4% of respondents. Remarkably, a similar survey conducted last summer found that 79% of Russians believed in the existence of aliens. One noteworthy contrast between the two polls is that 24% of participants suggested ETs would be hostile in 2024, as opposed to the aforementioned 10% who offered the same perspective this year.