Survey of Britons
2nd Feb 1998
Daily Mail
Survey of Britons
TABLE 1 Which of these do you believe in – whether or not you’ve had direct experience of them? All figures in percentages.
| Men | Women | TOTAL | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | ABC1 | C2DE | ||
Some people have powers that cannot be explained by science | 64 | 65 | 64 | 68 | 68 | 55 | 66 | 63 | ||
The paranormal. Things that science cannot explain | 61 | 66 | 63 | 69 | 67 | 51 | 65 | 62 | ||
God | 55 | 71 | 63 | 55 | 66 | 70 | 64 | 63 | ||
That a person’s spirit lives on after death | 42 | 61 | 52 | 54 | 56 | 44 | 51 | 53 | ||
Thought-reading | 39 | 54 | 47 | 41 | 50 | 51 | 46 | 48 | ||
People can cure illnesses with the power of the mind | 41 | 40 | 40 | 35 | 43 | 44 | 44 | 37 | ||
Dreams can predict the future | 38 | 41 | 40 | 49 | 42 | 25 | 36 | 44 | ||
Ghosts | 34 | 42 | 38 | 49 | 40 | 21 | 34 | 42 | ||
Some people can communicate with the dead | 25 | 47 | 36 | 41 | 41 | 24 | 33 | 40 | ||
Objects can be moved by the power of the mind | 29 | 38 | 34 | 36 | 37 | 27 | 33 | 35 | ||
Fortune telling | 24 | 43 | 34 | 39 | 36 | 25 | 29 | 38 | ||
Some people can cure illness by the power of God | 26 | 32 | 29 | 19 | 32 | 39 | 30 | 28 | ||
Life exists on other planets | 54 | 45 | 49 | 53 | 52 | 41 | 50 | 48 | ||
Extra-terrestrial life has already visited Earth | 33 | 24 | 29 | 33 | 33 | 18 | 26 | 32 | ||
If extra-terrestrial life visits us, it will be friendly | 23 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 22 | ||
If extra-terrestrial life visits us, it will be hostile | 10 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 10 | ||
Heaven | 41 | 57 | 49 | 48 | 52 | 49 | 44 | 55 | ||
Hell | 26 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 31 | 24 | 27 | 29 | ||
Angels | 22 | 31 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 29 | ||
The Devil | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 20 | 23 | 25 | ||
Saints | 23 | 25 | 24 | 18 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 25 | ||
Re-incarnation (coming back to life as another person) | 21 | 29 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 18 | 22 | 28 |
TABLE 2 Which of these have you direct experience of? All figures in percentages
| Men | Women | TOTAL | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | ABC1 | C2DE |
People who have powers that cannot be explained by science | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Paranormal phenomena – things that science cannot explain | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 |
God | 13 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 14 |
People whose spirits live on after they die | 8 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
Thought-reading | 10 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 19 | 13 | 15 |
People who can cure illness by the power of their mind | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 9 |
Dreams that have predicted the future | 17 | 21 | 19 | 26 | 19 | 10 | 18 | 20 |
Ghosts | 11 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 16 |
People who can communicate with the dead | 5 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
Objects which have been moved by the power of the mind | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Fortune telling | 9 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 14 |
People who can cure illness by the power of God | 7 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
Life exists on other planets | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Extra-terrestrial life which has already visited us here on Earth | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Friendly extra-terrestrial life | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Hostile extra-terrestrial life | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
Heaven | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Hell | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Angels | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
The Devil | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Saints | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
A total of 1,092 interviews were conducted face to face between 5th Jan 1998 and 9th Jan 1998 by ICM
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