FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday December 6th 2011
One in Three New Zealanders Believe in UFOs
A third of New Zealanders (33%) believe that Earth has been visited by UFOs from other planets, according to a new poll
by UMR Research.
- 34% of under 30 year olds, 36% of 30-44 year olds and 35% of 45-59 year olds believe in UFOs, but this drops to
26% amongst over 60 year olds.
The data is from UMR Research’s online omnibus survey, which covered a nationally representative sample of 1,000 New
Zealanders aged 18 years and over and explored New Zealanders’ beliefs in a range of areas. Other findings include:
- 55% of us think that at least some people have psychic powers such as ESP, with women (67%), over 60 year olds
(63%) and Māori (60%) particularly likely to believe that this is true.
- Six in 10 of us (61%) believe in God. This includes 72% of women but only 52% of men.
- Almost 8 in 10 of us (78%) believe that Jesus was a real person who lived 2000 years ago.
- A narrow majority of us (57%) believe in life after death, although belief in life after death declines with age
(49% of over 60 year olds, 65% of under 30 year olds).
- Only 24% think that astrology can predict people’s futures.
This is the first in a series of releases on beliefs. Future releases will cover issues such as understanding of aspects
of Māori culture and public faith in herbal remedies.