PRINCETON, USA, Sept, 08, 2001: What exactly do Americans believe in when it comes to the paranormal, the occult and “out-of-this-world” experiences? The Gallup Poll recently updated its audit of American belief in a variety of these types of phenomena. Only one of the experiences tested has seen a drop in belief since 1990: devil possession. Overall, half or more of Americans believe in two of the issues: psychic or spiritual healing, and extrasensory perception (ESP). A third or more believe in such things as haunted houses, possession by the devil, ghosts, telepathy, extraterrestrial beings having visited Earth and clairvoyance. Perhaps not surprisingly, the major difference in belief in these phenomena by importance of religion focuses on the devil: 55% of those who say religion is very important in their daily lives say they believe in devil possession, compared to just 14% of those who say religion is “not very” important to them.
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