Image: "Psychic" by Junior Libby
Hello, in October 2015 I administered an 81 item survey to 543 Americans, asking them about their particular attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Analysis of ten survey items was omitted from the original research publications, and is presented here for the first time.
These ten items are derived from Dr. Paul Trapnell's Transpersonal & Paranormal Belief Scale (Trapnell, 2009). Each asks respondents if they hold paranormal beliefs by declaring belief in a paranormal concept, and then asking the respondent if they agree, disagree, or feel neutrally about it. Surveys were completed online using Mechanical Turk and Qualtrics. The full dataset is available for download: goo.gl/EdH2wQ Infographic
Highlights
- About three in four Americans surveyed (78%) held at least one paranormal belief. This result is in line with a 2005 Gallup poll of American paranormal beliefs, which found 73% held at least one.
- Each paranormal belief surveyed here was accepted by more than 21% of the sample.
- Over half the sample believed it is possible to see into the future
- 41% believed in the existence of psychic abilities
- 34% believed in the possibility of experiencing memories from past lives
- 22% said they themselves have experienced ESP
- 24% said they believe in astrology
References
Gallup Poll, (2005). Three in four Americans believe in the paranormal. http://www.gallup.com/poll/16915/three-four-americans-believe-paranormal.aspx
Transpersonal & Paranormal Belief Scale, and Spirituality Scale. From Farmer, M. A., Trapnell, P. D., & Meston, C. M. (2009). The relation between sexual behavior and religiosity subtypes: A test of the secularization hypothesis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38(5), 852-865.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18839301
Poster Image credit: “Ghosts in the Hall” by Rachel Titiriga ( flickr.com/pocait)