Survey shows surprising level of paranormal belief

UNITED STATES. The authors of the Baylor Religion Surveys (BRS) American
Piety in the 21st Century have found a surprising level of paranormal
belief and experience in the United States, although those beliefs and
experiences tend to be confined to people outside traditional religion.

The BRS claims to have carried out the most extensive and sensitive
study of religion ever conducted in 2005 and the full report will not be
available until June next year. But its initial findings have been
released, revealing that
three-quarters of the population (74.5%) believe that some alternative
treatments are at least as effective as traditional medicine

half the population (52%) believe dreams can sometimes foretell the
future

a quarter of the population believe UFOs are probably spaceships from
other worlds

In addition, 41.2% believe in ancient advanced civilisations, such as
Atlantis;

37.2% in haunted houses; 28% in mind over matter (telekinesis); 19.9% in
communication with the dead; 17.9% in creatures such as Bigfoot and the
Loch Ness Monster; and 12.8% in psychics, astrologers and tarot readers
being able to foresee the future.

The wide-ranging survey, subtitled New Insights to the Depth and
Complexity of Religion in the US, also reveals marked differences in
beliefs between the sexes and also between different geographical areas
of the US.

The statistics quoted are averages. When broken down they reveal that
twice as many women (27.2%) believe in communication with the dead,
compared with 14% of men producing an average of 19.9%. However, more
men (29.1%) believe in UFOs, compared with women (23.2%).

The Eastern states also score higher in most categories, compared with
the Midwest, South and West.
Almost one in five (19%) in the East had called or consulted a medium,
fortune teller or psychic, more than twice the number in the South
(8.4%) and almost double the figure for the Midwest (10.5%).

One in 10 (11%) of respondents in the East admitted to having consulted
a ouija board to contact a deceased person, which is twice as many as in
the West (5.6%).

The research, which was conducted by the Gallup Organisation and funded
by the John M. Templeton Foundation, was based on the views of 1,721
respondents. Other parts of the survey sought their views on God and
America's four Gods: benevolent, authoritarian, distant and critical
sexual morality, The Da Vinci Code, abortion and terrorism.

Two dozen different studies are now in progress, based on the BSF
findings, with publication due in Spring 2007.

The full 74-page report on BRSs initial findings is downloadable, free
of charge, at
http://www.thearda.com/Archive/Files/Downloads/BRS2005_DL.asp