Half of US citizens don't think gov transparent about balloon - polls

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Feb 22:53

Newsweek conducted a poll studying public perception of the Chinese balloon and subsequent unidentified flying objects in US airspace.

People walk through Times Square in New York City, US, July 13, 2021 (AFP)

According to a Newsweek poll released on Wednesday, almost half of Americans do not think that the US government will transparently disclose the details relating to the recent Chinese balloon incident.

The poll results showed that:

49% of respondents are concerned that the US government is misleading them about the balloon.

53% of respondents were certain that China sent the balloon with the intention of spying.

64% of respondents agreed that it was right for the United States and Canada to shoot down this and other balloons.

50% of respondents said they were certain that the additional balloons were also launched from China.

55% of respondents expressed concern about the three additional balloons that the US military shot down after shooting the first one.

60% of respondents said they are extremely or somewhat concerned about the presence of reported flying objects; and

13% said they are not at all concerned about these flying objects.

The Chinese balloon was flying over the North American Aerospace Defense Command on January 28, over Alaska, before it was found floating over missile sites in Montana. Days later, after tracking, the US decided to shoot it down over the South Carolina coast.

Later, in early February, The US Defense Department confirmed that a "high-altitude object" was shot down over Alaska after assessing it could be a "threat to civilian aircraft."

Unlike the Chinese balloon that was shot down before, officials noted that the new object was "much smaller" and seemed to be the size of a small car.