Science

Which Presidential Candidate Would You Trust During An Alien Invasion?

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are busy guys these days, each making his case for leading the free world. In speeches and interviews, they make their case for how they would handle some key challenges, from health care to the economy to foreign policy challenges in the Middle East. But a new survey definitively shows […]
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The Sombrero Galaxy, shown in infrared and optical light. The Galaxy, which is not known to harbor alien life, is about 50,000 light years across and is 28 million light years from Earth. (Credit: R. Kennicutt (Steward Obs.) et al., SSC, JPL, Caltech, NASA)The Sombrero Galaxy, shown in infrared and optical light. The Galaxy, which is not known to harbor alien life, is about 50,000 light years across and is 28 million light years from Earth. (Credit: R. Kennicutt (Steward Obs.) et al., SSC, JPL, Caltech, NASA)

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are busy guys these days, each making his case for leading the free world. In speeches and interviews, they make their case for how they would handle some key challenges, from health care to the economy to foreign policy challenges in the Middle East.

But a new survey definitively shows how Americans feel about what is almost certainly the most important issue facing the country: which candidate is better able to deal with an alien invasion?

The results of the 1,114-person survey – sponsored by the National Geographic Channel in concert with its new Chasing UFOs series – offer a decisve victory for President Obama in the extraterrestrial diplomacy arena, a portfolio he has no doubt watched closely during his administration. 65% of survey respondents believe Obama would handle an alien invasion better than Romney.

They survey examined other aspects of the American public’s relationship with aliens. Selected findings include the following:

- 36% of Americans think UFOs exist; 11% believe they have personally seen one.

- If the traditional intergalactic diplomatic process ran amok, and superheroes somehow became real, 21% of respondents would request the Hulk’s assistance. 12% would flash the Bat Signal, while just 8% would trust Spiderman.

- 28% think a visiting UFO would land in Roswell, New Mexico, beating out Washington, D.C. (19%) as the most likely landing zone.

- A vast majority of the public (79%) believe the U.S. government has kept information about UFOs secret.

- The aliens’ PR firm is apparently doing a very effective job: 22% of respondents would try to befriend any Little Green Men, behavior that could be construed as evolutionarily unwise. 15% would run away, while 13% would take a more measured approach and merely lock their doors.

- 77% of Americans think aliens have left behind evidence of previous visits. 60% are convinced by photographs, 57% by videos, and 36% by ancient monuments sucha s Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids.

The survey shows that most Americans believe in intelligent alien civilizations that have visited our planet. So as political campaigns pivot to issues the public really cares about, look for alien diplomacy to dominate the political discourse over the next several months.

Or, perhaps, not.