QUESTION:
How many people believe that other intelligent beings exist in the universe?
What do you believe? Think about it. With billions of planets orbiting
around stars just like Earth in our galaxy, wouldn't it stand to reason that
just one other planet out of those billions might have intelligent life
form on it?

ANSWER from Jack Farmer:
Here are some quick impressions based on your questions:

"How many people believe that other intelligent beings exist in the universe?"

Hard to say exactly, but I would say that in my experience most people
believe there is a reasonable chance, mostly for the reasons you stated:
"Think about it. With billions of planets orbiting around stars just like
Earth in our galaxy, wouldn't it stand to reason that just one other planet
out of those billions might have intelligent life forms on it?" But Science
does not deal in beliefs or hunches, but is more focused on defining
testable hypotheses that can lead to actual proof. The current SETI search
is one such test. The search for habitable planets around other stars is
another. On a probability basis your statement would appear hard to resist.
But getting beyond a mere hunch, the scientific community is really about
trying to get a valid test of your hypothesis. It is a big question, and not
easily tested, but things do seem to be moving forward on that front.

I believe what I just stated above. On a probability basis it seems likely
that there is life elsewhere. This has been formally presented by Frank
Drake, founder of the SETI Institute, in the famous Drake equation. But
recall I have also indicated that science is not about belief. In a way it
matters little what I or you or anyone believes. What has importance
scientifically is how can we test the hypothesis of extraterrestrial life?
What kind of evidence will constitute conclusive evidence? It is the result
of this effort that will survive history. It's also important to realize
that from a scientific standpoint, the question of intellegent life is much
more problematic than simple microbial life. (This is inspite of the
conclusions of science fiction which regularly populate the Cosmos with
intellegent life forms, only rarely giving attention to simple life).
Obviously, the discovery of life in any form will be of great importance to
us all, and I'm especially excited to be involved at a time in history when
we may actually begin to get answers to this question.

Jack D. Farmer, PhD.
NASA Ames Research Center
url:http://www.exobiology.arc.nasa.gov