Gallup Poll-June, 2001 on Psyhic and Paranormal Phenomena

POLL ANALYSES - June 8, 2001
Americans' Belief in Psychic and Paranormal Phenomena Is up Over Last Decade
Belief in psychic healing and extrasensory perception top the list

by Frank Newport and Maura Strausberg

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- What exactly do Americans believe in when it comes to the
paranormal, the occult, and "out-of-this-world" experiences? The Gallup Poll
recently updated its audit of Americans’ beliefs in a variety of these types
of phenomena. The results suggest a significant increase in belief in a
number of these experiences over the past decade, including in particular
such Halloween-related issues as haunted houses, ghosts and witches. Only
one of the experiences tested has seen a drop in belief since 1990: devil
possession. Overall, half or more of Americans believe in two of the issues:
psychic or spiritual healing, and extrasensory perception (ESP), and a third
or more believe in such things as haunted houses, possession by the devil,
ghosts, telepathy, extraterrestrial beings having visited earth, and
clairvoyance.

Basic Beliefs

The list of 13 experiences tested in the poll is eclectic, ranging from
Halloween- and occult-oriented phenomena such as ghosts and witches, to
mental experiences such as ESP, clairvoyance, and psychic or spiritual
healing.

Americans’ overall beliefs in the experiences tested range from a slight
majority who believe in the power of the human mind to heal the body, to a
low of 15% who believe in the New Age concept of channeling or allowing a
"spirit-being" to assume control of a body during a trance.

For the full report

Click on http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr010608.asp