Researchers at the SOM Institute asked 3,750 randomly selected people six questions about paranormal abilities. Two of them were: “if there are people today who can transfer energies from their hands to cure diseases?” and “if today there are people who can converse with the dead?”.
Overall, 40 percent of respondents stated that they believe there are people today who possess at least one of the six selected paranormal abilities.
– The percentages who answer that people with these abilities exist today are probably surprisingly high for many, says Sebastian Lundmark, researcher at the SOM institute and responsible for the study, in a press release.
Respondents could only answer yes or no.
Women more likely to believe
21 percent of all Swedes believe that today there are people who can converse with the dead. When asked if there are people who can perceive things through a sixth sense, 44 percent of the responding women believe so and 21 percent of the men.
In the survey, women were generally more than twice as likely as men to believe that there are people with paranormal abilities. Even younger people believe in it to a greater extent.
Those living in rural areas and those who believe in God were also more likely to “answer yes”.
“There has been a shift”
David Thurfjell, professor of religious studies, believes that Swedes have begun to believe more in paranormal abilities in recent years. In the past, there was more focus on science.
– What has happened during the late 90s is that the scientific worldview has had a high status and the subjective worldview has been rather suppressed. In recent years, it has evened out a bit. People are beginning to place greater value on subjective experiences, he says.