Editing Paranormal (section)

==Belief polls==
{{Update|date=November 2021}}
While the existence of paranormal phenomena is controversial and debated passionately by both proponents of the paranormal and by [[skeptics]], surveys are useful in determining the ''beliefs'' of people in regards to paranormal phenomena. These opinions, while not constituting scientific evidence for or against, may give an indication of the mindset of a certain portion of the population (at least among those who answered the polls). The number of people worldwide who believe in parapsychological powers has been estimated to be 3 to 4&nbsp;billion.<ref>Pigliucci, Massimo; Boudry, Maarten (2013). p. 155.</ref>

A survey conducted in 2006 by researchers from Australia's [[Monash University]]<ref name=monashresults>{{cite web|author=ABC Science Online |url=http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2006/1791144.htm |title='Spooky survey' gets big response |date=2006-11-17 |website=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |access-date=2014-06-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061124014302/http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2006/1791144.htm |archive-date=24 November 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> sought to determine the ''types'' of phenomena that people claim to have experienced and the effects these experiences have had on their lives. The study was conducted as an online survey with over 2,000 respondents from around the world participating. The results revealed that around 70% of the respondents believe to have had an unexplained paranormal event that changed their life, mostly in a positive way. About 70% also claimed to have seen, heard, or been touched by an animal or person that they knew was not there; 80% have reported having a [[precognition|premonition]], and almost 50% stated they recalled a previous life.<ref name="monashresults"/>

Polls were conducted by Bryan Farha at [[Oklahoma City University]] and Gary Steward of the [[University of Central Oklahoma]] in 2006. They found fairly consistent results compared to the results of a [[Gallup poll]] in 2001.<ref name=fate>"Smart People See Ghosts", Brad Steiger, ''Fate Magazine'', April 2006, p. 52–56; the unusual thing found by Farha and Steward was that belief in the supernatural increased with education level, contrary to many other surveys. However, that aspect of their study is not being used here.</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Percentage of U.S. citizens polled
|-
! rowspan="2" |Phenomena
! colspan="3" |Farha-Steward (2006)
! colspan="3" |[[Gallup poll|Gallup]] (2001)
! colspan="3" |Gallup (2005)<ref name="Moore">{{cite news|last=Moore|first=David W.|title=Three in Four Americans Believe in Paranormal|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/16915/three-four-americans-believe-paranormal.aspx|access-date=19 September 2013|work=[[Gallup (company)|Gallup]]|date=16 June 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919195101/https://news.gallup.com/poll/16915/three-four-americans-believe-paranormal.aspx|archive-date=19 September 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
!Belief
!Unsure
!Disbelief
!Belief
!Unsure
!Disbelief
!Belief
!Unsure
!Disbelief
|-
|[[Psychic]], [[Faith healing|Spiritual healing]]
|57
|26
|18
|54
|19
|26
|55{{efn|Also includes the effect of [[placebo]] through "power of the human mind to heal the body".<ref name=Moore/>}}
|17
|26
|-
|[[Extrasensory perception|ESP]]
|29
|39
|33
|50
|20
|27
|41
|25
|32
|-
|[[Haunted house]]s
|41
|25
|35
|42
|16
|41
|37
|16
|46
|-
|[[Demonic possession]]
|41
|28
|32
|41
|16
|41
|42{{efn|Some may have taken this metaphorically.<ref name=Moore />}}
|13
|44
|-
|[[Ghost]]s
|40
|27
|34
|38
|17
|44
|32
|19
|48
|-
|[[Telepathy]]
|25
|34
|42
|36
|26
|35
|31
|27
|42
|-
|[[Ancient astronauts|Extraterrestrials visited Earth in the past]]
|18
|34
|49
|33
|27
|38
|24
|24
|51
|-
|[[Clairvoyance]] and [[Prophecy]]
|24
|33
|43
|32
|23
|45
|26
|24
|50
|-
|[[Mediumship]]
|16
|29
|55
|28
|26
|46
|21
|23
|55
|-
|[[Astrology]]
|17
|26
|57
|28
|18
|52
|25
|19
|55
|-
|[[Witchcraft|Witches]]
|27
|19
|55
|26
|15
|59
|21
|12
|66
|-
|[[Reincarnation]]
|16
|28
|57
|25
|20
|54
|20
|20
|59
|}

A survey by Jeffrey S. Levin, associate professor at [[Eastern Virginia Medical School]], found that more than two thirds of the United States population reported having at least one mystical experience.<ref name=fate/><ref>''USA Today'', 12 January 1994<!-- need at least title; author and page also good --></ref>

A 1996 Gallup poll estimated that 71% of the people in the U.S. believed that the government was covering up information about [[UFO]]s. A 2002 [[Roper Center for Public Opinion Research|Roper]] poll conducted for the [[Syfy|Sci Fi channel]] reported that 56% thought UFOs were real craft and 48% that [[Extraterrestrial life|aliens]] had visited the [[Earth]].<ref name=fate/>

A 2001 [[National Science Foundation]] survey found that 9% of people polled thought [[astrology]] was very [[scientific]], and 31% thought it was somewhat scientific. About 32% of Americans surveyed stated that some numbers were lucky, while 46% of [[Europe]]ans agreed with that claim. About 60% of all people polled believed in some form of [[Extra-sensory perception]] and 30% thought that "some of the unidentified flying objects that have been reported are really space vehicles from other civilizations."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind04/c7/c7s2.htm#fn21 |title=Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Understanding – Public Knowledge About S&T; Chapter 7 of ''Science and Engineering Indicators 2004'' |work=[[National Science Board]] (National Science Foundation) |access-date=2012-03-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/5902/20150818162958/https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind04/c7/c7s2.htm#fn21 |archive-date=18 August 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 2017 the [[Chapman University]] Survey of American Fears asked about seven paranormal beliefs and found that "the most common belief is that ancient advanced civilizations such as [[Atlantis]] once existed (55%). Next was that places can be haunted by spirits (52%), aliens have visited Earth in our ancient past (35%), aliens have come to Earth in modern times (26%), some people can move objects with their minds (25%), fortune tellers and psychics can survey the future (19%), and [[Bigfoot]] is a real creature. Only one-fourth of respondents didn't hold at least one of these beliefs."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Chapman Survey 2017: Advanced Ancient Civilizations, Spirits, Alien Visits Remain Top Paranormal Beliefs |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2018/01/chapman-survey-2017-advanced-ancient-civilizations-spirits-alien-visits-remain-top-paranormal-beliefs/ |url-access=subscription |journal=[[Skeptical Inquirer]] |date=January–February 2018 |volume=42 |issue=1 |page=5}}</ref>