Woo-Woo Poll

In anticipation of Halloween, the AP and Ipsos have released the results of a poll measuring the American public's willingness to believe nonsense. According to their results, nearly one out of three people admits to believing in ghosts, while 23% say they've actually seen one or felt its presence. What the hell that last part means is anyone's guess. Maybe the presence of a ghost makes you feel kind of fuzzy. Further, 19% believe in spells and witchcraft. Almost half believe in ESP. Demographically, those most likely to be visited by ghosts are Catholics, single people, and non-church goers. Nearly twice as many liberals as conservatives report having seen a ghost. 14% have seen a UFO, and of those most are lower income men. City folk, minorities, and poor people are more likely to believe in witchcraft; educated white people are more likely to believe in ESP. The one bit of good news here is that far fewer people admit to believing in psychics than in a similar poll from 1996. So I suppose these results make me roughly 23% disgusted, 47% bemused, and 30% depressed. Read all the results here.