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Attitudes and perceptions towards the scientific search for extraterrestrial life among students of public and private universities in Peru

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 June 2020

Octavio A. Chon-Torres Open the ORCID record for Octavio A. Chon-Torres [Opens in a new window] ,
Julio César Ramos Ramírez ,
Fernando Hoyos Rengifo ,
Rosana Aurora Choy Vessoni ,
Ivan Sergo Laura ,
Félix Germán Alfonso Ríos-Ruiz ,
César Andreé Murga-Moreno Open the ORCID record for César Andreé Murga-Moreno [Opens in a new window] ,
José Percy Leonel Alvarado Pino  and
Ximena Yance-Morales Open the ORCID record for Ximena Yance-Morales [Opens in a new window]
Octavio A. Chon-Torres*
Affiliation:
Programa de Estudios Generales de la Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
Julio César Ramos Ramírez
Affiliation:
Programa de Estudios Generales de la Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
Fernando Hoyos Rengifo
Affiliation:
Programa de Estudios Generales de la Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
Rosana Aurora Choy Vessoni
Affiliation:
Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
Ivan Sergo Laura
Affiliation:
Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología (ASPAST), Lima, Peru
Félix Germán Alfonso Ríos-Ruiz
Affiliation:
Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología (ASPAST), Lima, Peru
César Andreé Murga-Moreno
Affiliation:
Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología (ASPAST), Lima, Peru
José Percy Leonel Alvarado Pino
Affiliation:
Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología (ASPAST), Lima, Peru
Ximena Yance-Morales
Affiliation:
Programa de Estudios Generales de la Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
*
Author for correspondence: Octavio A. Chon-Torres, E-mail: ochon@ulima.edu.pe
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Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify attitudes towards the scientific search for extraterrestrial life among students from public and private universities in Peru. This research was inspired by similar studies, realized in Sweden, which used the same instrument adapting it to our reality. The process consisted of a survey of the Peruvian student population by targeting it in different regions of Peru. The sample consisted of 1237 students from different academic areas. The findings show that 92% of the students believe in the existence of life outside our planet, with differences between the subgroups surveyed.

Keywords

Attitude and scientific perceptionextraterrestrial lifeuniversity students
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 19 , Issue 5 , October 2020 , pp. 360 - 368
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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