Gallup Poll-Update June, 2001

[sgrenard]

I have been following the discussion elsewhere on this forum about gender and belief in the paranormal and the ability to communicate with the "dead." I finally got around to reviewing the entire updated (June, 2001) survey on this subject by the Gallup Organization and forward a brief part of that survey here plus the web link so you can see the whole detailed report.
(**Women according to Gallup are "slightly" more prone to believe in the ability to communicate with those who have crossed over..see full report)

Readers can access the entire report at:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr010608.asp
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(the introductory blurb.....)


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.

[adamlvr]

I work for a telephone survey company and just once I'd like to do a survey like this one. We always get stuck with restaurant chains, cigarette surveys, and things like that. No political issues, nothing people really have opinions about. Hmph.

Anyway, enough grumbling from me. Thanks for the link, I've always wondered how most people view things like that. It's nice to know that as the education level goes up, so does belief in some of those things. I think that shows that it's something more than superstitious nonsense by uneducated people. I just wonder how long it will take to really be taken seriously by the scientific community.

Adamlvr

[stevegrenard]

Thanks for the appreciation re Gallup Poll website.

If you really want to know how seriously the scientific community takes psi and related phenomena, try and find a copy of The Conscious Universe by Dean Radin of the University of Nevada. This is a serious review and look-see at all the scientific research that has taken place in this subject area for the last 100 years up to "yesterday." It ends with quantum teleportation (developed by IBM), the work of Sony and other companies and researchers in this area as well. This is probably the very best book on this subject you are apt to find. From a more journalistic point of view, covering both scientific and phenomenal events, also read Best Evidence by Michael Schmicker and The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot. These three books with Radin at the top of the list are all any scientist needs to get interested.

PS: A large segment of the scientific community take this subject quite seriously.

[adamlvr]

I'll have to check out those books. It's nice to know that someone takes an interest, and that maybe one of these days the paradigm will shift.

I was looking through old school reports the other day (yes I saved all of them) and found one I did my freshman year of high school on ESP. We did an experiment, report, and speech on one topic for both our Honors Science and English classes. Mine consisted of me using homemade Zener cards and testing everyone from family members who happened to be in the wrong place/wrong time, to classmates anywhere in the vicinity. I'd totally forgotten about doing this. Now I want to go back and see what kind of results I got.

As far as I can remember, most people got around 6,7, or 8 out of 25. Not sure though.

Adamlvr

[PsyQuestor]

psst Steve, you should add those books to the members book list! I would, but I haven't read all of them.

And thank you for the gallop information :)

Steve's right, there are more scientists than ever that believe in survival of consciousness and psi. Looking forward to the day that they are the majority :D


Tammy

[stevegrenard]

These 3 titles are on the www.survivalscience.org booklist already. I will ask Pam to move them over or would do it myself if I knew how. :(