Paranormal Beliefs: Using Survey Trends from the USA to Suggest a New Area of Research in Asia

• Main Authors: Jibum Kim, Cory Wang, Nick Nuñez, Sori Kim, Tom W. Smith, Neha Sahgal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: CAPORCI 2015-08-01
• Series: Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
• Subjects: Paranormal beliefs; ghosts; astrology; UFOs; clairvoyance
• Online Access: http://ajpor.org/browse/articleDetail.do?article_a_no=ORJSBL_2015_v2n4_279&kojic=ORJSBL&year=2015&vnc=v2n4

Americans continue to have beliefs in the paranormal, for example in UFOs, ghosts, haunted houses, and clairvoyance. Yet, to date there has not been a systematic gathering of data on popular beliefs about the paranormal, and the question of whether or not there is a convincing trend in beliefs about the paranormal remains to be explored. Public opinion polling on paranormal beliefs shows that these beliefs have remained stable over time, and in some cases have in fact increased. Beliefs in ghosts (25% in 1990 to 32% in 2005) and haunted houses (29% in 1990, 37% in 2001) have all increased while beliefs in clairvoyance (26% in 1990 and 2005) and astrology as scientific (31% in 2006, 32% in 2014) have remained stable. Belief in UFOs (50%) is highest among all paranormal beliefs. Our findings show that people continue to hold beliefs about the paranormal despite their lack of grounding in science or religion.