Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects (the Condon Report, complete, three volumes)

In the samc Itl(,(, poll, 48~, s;lid tilE!' rhought the things called
flying S,lllt:('l'~; IH'l'C "so!l\t'thing l'ual," ;JIIL! :)1'\, saiJ that they were "just
peopll"s imagilwtit)I1." Th' qu('stiOl, Jec:, not Jistinguish bctwcen
various kinds of "real" things, such as ",cHther balloons, aircraft,
planets, mirages, etc., so the result l)y no means indicated that 48%
be i ieve they are vi sitars from outer spIce, 'l'h:lt. question was not
included in the 196LJ poll.
The 1966 poll asked whether elC person interviewed thinks "there
arE' P('Oi,lL' ;;omelihat like ourselvc3 I iving on other planets in the
uni \'erse?" Tne q ,cs ti on thus b~ln; sale lyon r LL, not on whet.!1Cr such
intelli~('ncE's OJ in fact visitcl)(' Earth. Of the 1,575 interviewed
3,\"" thought n's, 4S1. thou,~ht n'J, and 2l~, had no op1nion.
Therc \\'t'J'L' no~tati5ticaL1y significilllt regional differences
lwtwcl'TJ Last, ~lid\.. c~t, South and Illest with reganl to the proportion of
the popul at i on I'lL 1ch had he ,lrd of, had seen, ur hel i ('vcd in the reality
of flring snUl,'crs. 1IC'I'iC'vcf, as to belief in lLE, the existence of
)lcople en other pJanc'ts, ':hi5 be"Lief was helL! by only 27% of southern-
crs, as compareJ ;/1 t11 :s6 r, of easterners, 3r6 of midwesterners and ~~iJOu
of I';es~ernl'rs. 'he.1owe r pro port ion of southerners who be 1 ieve in 1 LE
is :.;tatisticall~· sigrifJ.cant, thut is, out~.:.iL!c tl10 rangc nf chance
\'ariation due to finite' size of sample. Although statistically signi-
fic;lTlt, it is :ausally unexplained,
Significant vari,'ltinn \'iith age i~; shown in rcspon~;es tc belief
ill tht' ,·(,.llit)' ,){' flying saucers, alll! to l1c1ief in Intelligent life 01
Mhcr 1'1an"t5. :\hotl 1 S()Ii, of p:'r"()Il~, tmdcT' (1(J "'.'liev" in the reality
of fly'ni-: ~illlL't'l'S as c011lpareJ witll ahuu1 3:~':, of pC'rsons (lYC/' ()(). On
the other hand, ;\ si!;nif:c;llltly 5111.111('1' proportion of those under SO
hcl1L'\c ~Il 11.1'., tILl;' do tilDSC OVl'/' S(l On hpt!l of these points, thc
dl','linc ill tllv lillilihcl' 01" "bl'licvt'rs" among oldl'I' !)coplcis mostly Jue
to the' inl't'e;l5e ld' tl1l1st' ilavi IllS "110 op i n ion" r;;; not uistingu;sh between
various kinds of "rcal" things, such :1:; Ne,lthcr halloons, aircraft,
planets, mirages, etc" so the result h'{ no means indicated that 48'1,
bei icvc they are vis i tOI'S from outer SP1CC, Th:lt question was not
included in the 1960 poll,
The 19ti6 poll asketl whether t:,c pcrsnn interviewed thllJks "there
:Il'e pcoi,le ,olllewhat like our~~elv(';; living nn other planets in the
unh'ersE'?" rile q .estion thus bC>.ln; solely on I LL, not on whet 11er such
intell i~ence::; d) in fact vi si tCiw Earth, Of the 1 ,575 interviewed
:),1"" thought H'S, 4S" thou.~ht 11'.1, and 21°" h,,(1 IlO opinion,
Then' Wt'J'l' no't:Jtistic:III',1 significant regional differences
het\IICl'Tl Last. ~lid\o'c!'t, ~)llut:h and \I/l'St wi th regan] to the prop()rtion of
the population \,hieil hall he.lrd of, had scen, ul' hdil'vcd in the reality
of fl:"lh oj' these puints, the
,[{','line il1 ,III' IHlilibC'1' l'f "bC'lievl'.1's" among (J)<.kl' !H.'ople;s mostl), Jue
to thf' il1cTe:ls(' "I' th,'S1' having "no opinion" rathe!' than to an incrca~;:
llf th(' numlH'l' of "r.on·-hel il'vt'l's ," [Ierl~ ag:till the [lull gives no ba!;\s
f0r ':l'ncJ\l~l()I1S as to the T'l';l51JltS foT' thl'S\' t1iffl'I'l'nCes,
bl