No wonder people believe in them, they're everywhere! Credit: Photo by Richard Whittaker

Want to hear a spooky story? According to a new AP-IPSOS poll, a third of Americans believe in ghosts.

34% of adults polled said they were OK with the idea of spooks drifting in from the beyond, while 23% believed they’d seen one or been in contact with some otherworldly presence. That roughly two-to-one ratio of people having at least some anecdotal evidence is better than for U.F.O.’s. 34% of respondents believed in extra-terrestrial visitors, even though only 14% claim to have seen one.

Possibly the biggest surprise is that 48% said they believed in extra-sensory perception. Actually, scratch that: a bigger shock may come from the fact that one in 20 people think they’ve seen a monster in their closet. Chronic doubts they mean the Pixar/Disney Monsters. Inc. cuddly kind.

To put that all into context, there’s about as many people who believe the spirits of the dead still walk the earth as think President Bush is doing a good job.

This article appears in Richard Suttle.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.