Belief in the Paranormal Remains Deep

By: Charles Cooper
Topics: Tech Talk

The trailer for "Paranormal Activity 2" has already leaked online to create quite the stir. Rest assured that once it reaches the theatres, the movie will likely reignite the age-old question whether we're talking about fact or fiction.

A scene from the trailer for "Paranormal Activity 2."

(Credit: Paramount/YouTube))

When it comes to judging the legitimacy of the paranormal, the answer likely depends on whether you believe in phenomena beyond the explanation of conventional science or not. Apparently, a lot of Americans do - and it goes a lot beyond a taste for the occasional ghost story.

In fact, a 2005 Gallup poll found that roughly three in four Americans professed a belief in at least one paranormal category. Extra-sensory perception topped the list with 41%, just ahead of the 37% who said they believed in haunted houses. That wasn't the extent of it.

In its poll, Gallup also noted:

32% of Americans believe that the spirits of dead people can come back in certain places or situations
31% believe in telepathy
26% believed in the power of the mind to know the past and predict the future
25% believe that astrology affects peoples' lives
21% believe the living can communicate with the dead
21% believe in witches
20% believe in reincarnation
9% believe in out-of-body experiences.

The results were consistent with a 2001 survey that Gallup carried out in which 76% said they believed in at least one of the same 10 topics. (At the time, the pollsters only noted that the public's belief in devil possession had dropped since 1990.)

Does all this point to a growing desire for a connection to a sense of spirituality beyond the confines of traditional religion - or are our increasingly addled brains turning to mush faster than anyone expected?

Coincidence or not, it also happens that belief in paranormal activities has increased alongside falling confidence in public institutions - including a heightened distrust of science among some quarters of the public.

Harbinger or passing fad? Sound off in our poll and let us know.

Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.

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by optimystic July 1, 2010 8:30 AM EDT: I am not surprised that ESP comes in so high. I think it might actually come in higher is it weren't lumped into the paranormal category. Herd mentatility is prevalent in belief (and therefore disbelief as well). A lot of people who don't believe have avoided even looking into it or thinking for themselves. Check your favorite search engine to find a study on "blind fish can school". Turns out the lateral line on fish provides what you might call an extra sense. Not as exciting as telepathy, but a step in that direction. Ant colonies and bee hives show cooperative communal behavior that are hard to explain if you don't think they can somehow communicate. I think at some point, the ability actually became detrimental to use because of competition within our species and natural selection largely weeded it out. But I think the latent capacity is still there.; Reply to this comment


by rf35 July 1, 2010 6:31 AM EDT: No surprise that so many people believe in the paranormal considering the huge numbers that believe in an invisible sky fairy that will come and take them to paradise when they expire.

Of course I belive in witches. I have several Wiccan friends. None of them go about in pointy black hats setting fire to scarecrows, though.; Reply to this comment


by mistershady June 30, 2010 6:55 PM EDT: odd how my first comment didn't show up as it was much more informative as to my own experiences relating to the paranormal; Reply to this comment