Twice as many people believe in the existence of ghosts than in God, a study has shown. The survey by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! found 55 percent of adults think ghosts are real, compared with 25 percent who place their faith in the Almighty.
Coming in at a close second, 51 percent of participants believe aliens exist, with both the existence of UFOs and angels scoring ahead of God.
The survey, which took results from 1,500 adults and 500 children, further revealed that children were far more likely to believe in the existence of both God and supernatural beings.
23% of young childred surveyed in the UK have an “ET Friend”
It was found that 64 percent of children believe in the existence of both aliens and ghosts, and a further 33 percent believed in God. Children were also more likely to believe in fantastical explanations for supernatural beings, with one in 20 claiming they personally knew an alien.
Some 26 percent of children also believed that aliens were roaming the earth disguised as humans.
RT Recent Survey: Aliens, God and Less Invisible Friends
The findings come as the UK faces a mass decline in churchgoing and Christianity.
Based on the results of the 2011 census, published in 2013, it was shown that the total number of people in England and Wales who describe themselves as Christian fell by 1.4 million, a drop of 10 percent.
Popular belief in the paranormal has enjoyed a recent surge after sightings of the so-called “black eyed child” flooded UK media in September this year.
The paranormal child, who reportedly has “coal-black” eyes, resurfaced in September, reigniting internet-based mass hysteria.
“According to the [poll] results, it’s clearly not just children who have an open mind when it comes to other life forms and keeping an open mind,” Crump added.
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