Talk to the dead, predict the future and cure diseases with energy. 40 percent of Swedes believe that there are people with paranormal abilities, according to a new survey.
The respondents in the survey from the SOM Institute at the University of Gothenburg have taken a position on six different abilities and answered whether they think there are people who possess these abilities today or not.
40 percent of respondents believed that there are people who possess at least one of the six selected paranormal characteristics, such as speaking to the dead or perceiving things with a sixth sense.
The researchers describe the results as “surprisingly high”.
Big gender gap
The differences between the sexes are palpable. Women are more than twice as likely as men to believe that there are people with supernatural qualities.
For example, 44 percent of the women surveyed said that there are people who can perceive things via a sixth sense, compared to 21 percent of the men.
Younger people, especially those born in 1996 or later, believe more in the existence of the abilities than the very oldest. Also, those who live in rural areas or believe in God are more likely to believe in paranormal abilities, according to the survey.
Political differences
In terms of political perceptions, it emerged that people who sympathize with the Sweden Democrats and the Liberals are somewhat more inclined to believe in the abilities.
“International research has suggested that there is sometimes a connection between perceived political exclusion and the tendency to believe in paranormal abilities like those we include in the survey,” says Sebastian Lundmark, researcher at the SOM Institute and responsible for the study, in a press release.
“That especially people who sympathize with the Sweden Democrats are somewhat more inclined to believe than other party sympathizers may be in line with this thesis, as the Sweden Democrats have long been seen as a pariah party in Sweden”.
The paranormal abilities in the survey and what percentage of respondents believe that there are people who possess them:
Perceive things through a sixth sense that the other senses cannot, 33 percent
Talking to dead people, 21 percent
Remembering what happened in past lives, 20 percent
Predicting the future through tarot cards, runes or similar aids, 18 percent
Predicting a person’s future by interpreting the movements of stars, for example through horoscopes, 15 percent
Transferring energies from their hands to cure diseases, 14 percent
The survey went out to a total of 26,250 randomly selected people between the ages of 16 and 90 living throughout Sweden.
3,750 people were asked about paranormal abilities. The survey had a 49 percent net response rate.
Source: SOM institute