A new poll showed that close to half of people believe the government is hiding information about unidentified flying objects after mysterious aerial activity in New Jersey caught the country off guard late last year.
The NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll released this week revealed that 44% of respondents think that the government is covering up evidence about UFOs, while 28% disagree, and another 28% remain unsure.
The survey comes after a slew of drone sightings in New Jersey caught the nation’s attention when residents began reporting baffling unmanned aircraft flying over the state last year. Often described as car-sized objects resembling large drones, the activity was reported nightly, including above commercial airports, the Picatinny Arsenal, and near then-President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club.
The incidents sparked widespread concern, calls from state lawmakers for a federal investigation, and panic from some in Congress as thousands of reported sightings spread across the East Coast. A congressional hearing was held on the matter in December 2024, although it proved to be largely inconclusive, drawing scorn from some lawmakers who questioned why the government did not shoot down the aircraft.
After the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and an array of local and state law enforcement scrutinized the bizarre activity, the Trump administration held a press conference to dispel concerns that the unidentified aircraft constituted a threat.
“The drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the [Federal Aviation Administration] for research and various other reasons,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in late January. “Many of these drones were also [flown by] hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones. In the meantime, in time, it got worse due to curiosity. This was not the enemy.”
Leavitt’s statement came after Trump asked his staff to investigate the aerial activity and release the information to the public.
NEW JERSEY LAWMAKERS PLEAD FOR ACTION AS MYSTERIOUS ‘DRONE’ WORRIES INTENSIFY
“I would like to find out what it is and tell the people,” Trump said on his first day in office.
The survey on UFOs was conducted April 23-27 among 1,448 registered voters. The margin of error is plus-or-minus 2.4 percentage points.
