Do you believe in ghosts? What about your neighbor? Do they? Stick around for the results of two surveys about spiritual beliefs in America.

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Welcome to the PEEP Podcast! I’m your host Nicolle Morock, and I thank you for being here! The two big ideas behind the PEEP Podcast are to show that the paranormal is more normal than most people think and to connect the science to the psi, including ESP, psychokinesis, and intuition!

On this episode, we’re taking a closer look at how “normal” certain spiritual beliefs really are, according to recent research. But first, I have a couple of quick reminders:

If you’re listening to this episode on the day it publishes, I have one more local, in-person event left. The final run of “House of Horrors: Choose Your Own Adventure” is happening tonight at 6:30 pm in Holly Springs Public Library. During the presentation, I start with the basic tools and guidelines for paranormal investigations before moving into a choose-your-own adventure story. The audience gets to decide what comes next by show of hands. Then we’ll wrap it up with Q&A and maybe a few EVP.

My final presentation of the spooky season will be in collaboration with the Ghost Guild via Zoom on this Thursday evening, October 24th. That presentation is called, “Can Objects Be Cursed or Haunted?” It will be a captivating blend of spooky fun and scientific inquiry, encouraging you to keep an open mind while staying grounded in reality. Don't miss out on this exciting exploration of the supernatural! The link for registration is in the show notes.

Thanks once more to Wake County Public Libraries for inviting me to participate in the Haunted Carolina program for my 14th year!

And one final reminder I’d like to throw out there: if you’re interested in sharing your own paranormal experiences, research, or ideas for show topics, please use the contact form at peeppodcast.com to get in touch. That’s P-E-E-P podcast.com! While sharing research and resources is part of the program, my favorite (and I’m sure the fan favorite) episodes are the interviews, which means I need people to talk with! If you know someone who might be interested, share the show with them and ask them to get in touch with me, please.

Now back to tonight’s topic. Since one of the goals of my show is to remove the stigma from talking about paranormal experiences, I wanted to spend just a few minutes sharing some recent data from nationwide surveys.

One reason most people don’t like to share their paranormal experiences is the fear of being called strange or crazy, but in talking to people over the years, I’ve noticed that nearly everyone has experienced at least one thing that they could not explain over the course of their lifetimes. While the lack of explanation doesn’t guarantee the event was paranormal, it does make them wonder.

So, how “normal” is it to believe in ghosts, have unexplained experiences, and beliefs in supernatural topics? Let’s look at the statistics. And as a reminder, when looking at statistics, the easiest definition of normal is average. It’s not a judgmental word, it’s just math.

In January of 2024, RealClear Opinion Research asked 1,000 people if they believe in ghosts. What percentage of them do you think said yes?

Survey says! (I’ve always wanted to say that.) 61.4% believe in ghosts! This was a yes or no answer, so 38.6% of respondents do not.

The poll also found that 70.3% believe in the devil, 85.4% believe in God, and 56.9% believe in aliens! When asked if they believe in witches, 45.8% said yes. As an aside, I would be more interested in this if the question were more granular because I have friends who are practicing witches, but they are not the Disney evil stepmother version or the salacious acts with Satan version. They’re just normal people practicing an ancient religion. So, if I were asked that question as part of a survey, I’d need more clarity before I answered.

The same survey showed that 83% believe in miracles, 84.7% believe in heaven, and 72.4% believe in hell. And 47.7 percent believe in reincarnation.

A little bit about the demographics of the people who responded to this survey: over half were white, almost exactly half were women vs men with 9 people identifying as “non-binary or other.” 55% live in the eastern half (northeast and south) of the US, and 65% had at least some college education or better. Interestingly 60% were Christian or Jewish, but 47.7% believe in reincarnation, so some respondents are people like me – mixing beliefs that don’t necessarily jive with the church’s dogma.

Okay, so that’s one recent survey that shows belief in the paranormal or the supernatural isn’t all that unusual. But wait; there’s more!

I have results from a Pew Research Survey from December 2023, called Spirituality Among Americans. This one dug a little deeper, and it included results from a subgroup of respondents identified as SBNR, which stands for “spiritual but not religious.”

According to this study’s results, 70% of Americans consider “themselves spiritual in some way, including 22% who are spiritual but not religious.” Quoting from the published results:

71% of SBNRs believe that spirits or spiritual energies can be found in parts of nature like mountains, rivers or trees. Far fewer adults who are both religious and spiritual (46%) share this belief. Also, most SBNRs say that being connected with nature is “essential” to what being spiritual means to them (59%), an outlook that is less common among Americans who describe themselves as both religious and spiritual (35%).

End quote.

Going back to look at the general population, which includes those SBNRs - of 11,201 respondents, Pew extrapolated the following statistics:

• 83% of US adults believe that people have souls or spirits in addition to their physical bodies.
• 57% believe that animals other than humans have spirits.
• 50% believe that graveyards, cemeteries, or other memorial sites can have spirits or spiritual energies.
• 48% believe parts of nature, like mountains, rivers, or trees can have spirits or spiritual energies.
• Only 26% believe that certain objects like crystals, jewels, or stones can. (On a personal note, I wonder why those people think mountains can but crystals or stones can’t.)

Another set of questions in the same survey looked at beliefs about life after death:

• 57% of respondents believe that it is definitely or probably true that people who have died can be united with other loved ones who have already passed.
• 46% think it’s definitely or probably true that people who have died can provide assistance, protection, or guidance to the living.
• 44% believe they can be aware of things going on among the living.
• 42% believe they can communicate with the living.
• 27% believe they can be reincarnated (which is much less that the RealClear Opinion Poll’s 47%)
• And 18% believe that the dead can harm the living.

There is a lot more data in the Pew survey results, so I’ll be including the link in the show notes. Here is one last set of answers I’d like to cover, though:

• 45% of adults say they have had a sudden feeling of connection from something beyond this world.
• 38% had a strong feeling that someone who has passed away was communicating with them.
• And 30% believe that spiritual or unseen forces exist, and they have encountered one.

Based on these two sets of survey results within the past year, I think it’s safe to say that when you bring up the paranormal with a stranger you have about a 50/50 chance or better that they’ll be receptive to the conversation.

With respect to that 30% of people who believe they’ve encountered a spiritual or unseen force, I’m hoping everyone who answered the survey was completely honest. It’s easy for me to believe that number is higher, because in my avocations (this podcast and paranormal investigation), I’m much more entrenched with those people than the average person is. So, I am aware of my confirmation bias, and that’s why I appreciate objective surveys like these.

So, what do you think? These surveys polled Americans only. If you live in another country, what has your experience been and how common are some of these beliefs where you are? Feel free to comment on the post for this episode on the PEEP Podcast Facebook page or message me through the contact form at peeppodcast.com.

Thank you for listening!  

If you are interested in sharing your own paranormal experiences, or if you have an idea for an episode topic, please reach out through the contact form at peeppodcast.com. That's P-E-E-P Podcast.com. Remember that stands for People Experiencing Everyday Paranormal.

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