The result come after Russian scientists claimed they had received a mysterious signal from outer space, which prompted some to speculate that an alien race is trying to contact Earth.

The British public certainly believe – or hope – that a distant civilisation is trying to contact us, with a fifth saying they reckon the aliens out there are more intelligent than us.

Just slightly more than a tenth believe that we are alone, mirroring a growing consensus amongst scientists that humans are unlikely to be the only intelligent life in the universe.

Additionally, more men (68 per cent) believe in aliens compared to women (60 per cent).

A research paper revisited the famous Drake Equation and concluded the chances are even higher than the original formula suggested.

It took into consideration factors such as the rate of formation of stars suitable for the development of life in surrounding planets and the number of planets per solar system.

Adam Frank said: “Thanks to NASA’s Kepler satellite and other searches, we now know that roughly one-fifth of stars have planets in ‘habitable zones’, where temperatures could support life as we know it.

“To me, this implies that other intelligent, technology-producing species very likely have evolved before us.”

Source: Express