One-third of Americans are afraid ... ghosts

"It was awful in the middle of the night, the television and electric lights suddenly turned on," Misty Conrad lamented. And when her daughter started talking to Nicole, an " invisible " girl, as well as the neighbors who revealed that many children were killed in the house she was staying at, that was when Conrad decided. must move away.

Obviously, Conrad, a housewife, is among 34% of Americans who think there are actually . ghosts, according to public opinion poll data produced by the AP and Ipsos news agency and published only a few the day before the Halloween festival. The proportion of Americans afraid of ghosts is equivalent to the number of people who believe in Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). In addition, 19% of respondents affirmed that magic and spells are real.

Halloween festival takes place on October 31 every year. During this holiday, children often disguise as demons and go to each house to ask for candy.

Misty Conrad (right) and 2 daughters
(Photo: Washingtonpost)

The survey also found that 48% of Americans believed in extrasensory capacity (ESP), 37% said that the decision to invade Iraq was correct and 31% endorsed the policies of US President George W.Bush. .

A small but significant group, about 23%, said they had actually seen ghosts or were present in someone. Most of these people, all single, are Roman or atheist Christians. However, the number of ' look ' liberals is more ghost than conservatives, with 31% and 18% respectively.

One of the unbelievers, Morris Swaddener, 66, and retired naval officer, said he used a gun to shoot at a " ghost " when he was a child. 'I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a white ghost in the room' - Swaddener recalled - 'After that, I found out that it was just my new white shirt. Obviously my parents don't like this. '

At 3 out of 10 people wake up in the night due to feeling something strange in the room.

Meanwhile, 14% of respondents, mostly men and low income, said they had seen UFOs. Danny Eskanos, 44 and a lawyer, said that when he was young he saw a light and bright arrow flying in the sky. The strange object suddenly stopped, changed its direction . disappeared.'I know a little about airplanes and obviously that object is not like that,' Eskanos said.

Most people believe that magic and spells are real, are urban dwellers, ethnic minorities, and low-income people.

Meanwhile, the majority of 48% believe ESP is white and highly educated. However, compared to the number of people with similar questions conducted by Newsweek magazine in 1996, it is clear that it is much less. In 1996, up to 66% confirmed ESP.

The public opinion poll was carried out by AP and Ipos from October 16 to October 18, by telephone interview with 1,013 adults and an error rate of 3.1%.

NH