Scientists from the University of Louisville conducted a survey showing that 19% of scientists believed they or someone they knew had seen unidentified flying objects. Research published in the journal Nature: Humanities and Social Sciences Communication.
The authors of the survey sent the survey to 39,984 faculty members from 144 US universities. They received a response from only 1460 people (4%). Of these, 276 participants (19%) reported seeing an unidentified flying object that could not be explained by natural phenomena or identified as a man-made aircraft.
The results could be explained by the majority of teachers who ignored the survey, the researchers said. Perhaps most scientists are skeptical of the UFO issue and do not want to participate in the survey. But their questions were promptly answered by military scientists passionate about possible UFOs.
The study raises an important ethical question about researchers’ involvement in UFO analysis. Judging by the number of deniers, most scholars would find the issue embarrassing and ridiculous. Therefore, they can remain silent about actual contact with UFOs. Consequently, the discussion of this topic remains for a limited circle of people.