Ghosts & Hauntings

60% of Americans claim to have had a paranormal experience

By T.K. Randall
October 27, 2025 ·  134 comments

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) As Halloween fast approaches, many people will be finishing up their costumes, putting up decorations and buying treats in preparation for an evening celebrating all things spooky and scary.

For many, however, paranormal activity and encounters with ghosts are very much the real deal.

In a recent poll, YouGov learned that 60% of Americans claim to have had at least one paranormal experience, with the sense of an unknown presence being chief among the phenomena reported.

Phantom smells, unexplained sounds, weird temperature changes and hearing voices were also commonly reported among those with a story to tell.

Chillingly, 7% even claim to have had first-hand experience with a demonic entity.In addition, 18% of Americans claim to have lived in a purportedly haunted house, with this cohort also being among the most likely to have reported a paranormal encounter.

In terms of general beliefs, 43% of the population believe demons exist and 41% believe in psychic abilities, while oddly a smaller number - 38% - believe in ghosts.

Around 50% of Americans maintain that some people possess supernatural powers, with 29% believing that they are one of those people.

10% even claim to be capable of seeing future events.

The poll also found that around 6% believe that vampires and werewolves are the real deal.

Source: Yougov.com | Comments (134)

Tags: Ghost, Haunting, Paranormal