Many U.S. homes may decorate with ghosts and witches for Halloween, but most U.S. adults are doubtful they actually exist.
Surveys from Gallup and Pew find broad skepticism for psychics, ghosts, astrology and witches.
Gallup ghosts
No paranormal phenomena were believed by a majority of Americans, according to Gallup’s study.
U.S. adults were most split over the existence of some type of physical healing ability, either psychic, spiritual or the power of the human mind. Almost half (48%) say they believe in that, while 32% don’t believe and 19% aren’t sure.
In every other phenomenon, those who don’t believe outnumber those who do.
Nearly 2 in 5 (39%) believe ghosts or spirits of dead people can come back in certain places and situations, but 42% disagree. Around 3 in 10 (29%) accept telepathy or communication between minds without using the traditional five senses. Nearly half (48%) don’t believe.
Every other belief has the acceptance of around a quarter of Americans: communicating mentally with someone who has died (27% believe vs. 49% don’t), clairvoyance or the power of the mind to know the past and predict the future (26% vs. 50%), astrology or the position of stars and planets can affect people’s lives (25% vs. 55%), reincarnation or the rebirth of the soul into a new body after death (24% vs. 50%), and witches (24% vs. 60%).
Two distinct groups
Gallup found two distinct groups among Americans — 34% who are generally open to paranormal, believing in at least three and an average of five phenomena, and 66% who are generally skeptical, only believing in one on average.
People who infrequently attend religious services (40%) are more likely than weekly churchgoers (22%) to be among those open to the paranormal.
Those who attend religious services weekly or almost weekly (78%) are the most likely to be among the skeptical group.
Among general skeptics, psychic or spiritual healing has the highest levels of belief (33%), which may stem from more Christians and churchgoers being open to the possibility of miraculous healings. No other phenomenon draws acceptance from more than 13% of the skeptics.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Aaron Earls and originally published by Lifeway Research.
