by Paul Seaburn October 28, 2017 (mysteriousuniverse.org)
• The Chapman University Survey of American Fears Wave 4 (2017) is the fourth study on the fears of Americans conducted by this private, non-profit school in Orange, California.
• The survey found that three-quarters of Americans hold at least one paranormal belief. Those who hold one paranormal belief tend to have more.
• The study found that the top of the paranormal list contained people in lower income brackets who consider themselves to be highly religious despite attending church infrequently.
• Paranormal believers tend to be females and the highest number of them is the West Coast.
• Over half the people surveyed said they believed in Atlantis and other ancient mythical civilizations, ghosts and haunted houses. Over a third believe in ancient aliens and over a quarter feel we’ve got aliens in our midst right now.
• At the bottom of the list, only one in six believe in Bigofoot.
Before we begin, Bigfoot fans should address their hate mail to Chapman University, where a recent study found that their favorite cryptid does not poll well against ghosts, ancient aliens, Atlantis or even psychics. How well would he do against politicians and telephone solicitors?
The Chapman University Survey of American Fears Wave 4 (2017) is the fourth study on the fears of Americans conducted by this private, non-profit school in Orange, California. While the questionnaire filled out by 1207 Americans focused primarily on fears, a few questions related to what would be considered paranormal beliefs. For example:
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements:
a. Aliens have visited the Earth in our ancient past
b. Aliens have come to Earth in modern times
c. Fortune tellers and psychics can foresee the future
d. Places can be haunted by spirits
e. Bigfoot is a real creature
f. I have been protected by a guardian angel
g. Ancient advanced civilizations, such as Atlantis, once existed
h. Some people can move objects with their minds
The survey found that three-quarters of Americans hold at least one paranormal belief. That’s not surprising, given the prevalence of paranormal TV shows and storefront psychics and fortunetellers. The study also found that those who hold one paranormal belief tend to have more, with nearly 1 in 8 having at least three paranormal beliefs.
Who are these people? If you carpool to work in a small vehicle with three other commuters, you’ve got a car full of people looking out the window for flying saucers, angels and palm readers. The study noted the personal information of the responders – age, education, income, political preference, gender, religion, race, ethnicity, etc.
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