I was about to pass it by. About 35% of the population has some degree of belief in the occult in Britain, Canada and the US. Not especially surprising. And the differences between the three countries are not especially great. Belief in hauntings and witches, and aliens and speaking from beyond the grave is probably even greater than that 35% if you were to broaden the question. "Have you ever had reason to believe . . . "
I am not especially disposed to any of these broad claims. But I have had occasions of mystery where I cannot easily accommodate some event or observation or experience. Cautious skepticism remains my default position but I cannot make a convincing argument against other's claims. The world is still full of awe and mystery and our arrogant overestimation of our opinions is a well-established flaw.
So 35% believe. Meh.
But then I noticed this.
So there isn't a notable difference in views across the three countries but in all three countries there is a reasonably material, and consistent, gap between men and women.
OK. Men and women are different. Vive la difference.
But I would not have expected this to be an arena where those differences manifest. And there are some odd caveats.
Witches - Across all three countries men and women believe in witches to roughly the same degree.
But in hauntings, hearing from the dead and astrology, in all three countries, women are between 25 and 100% more disposed to believe than men.
At the same time, again in all three countries, men are about 30% more disposed to believe in aliens than women.
I don't have much background contextual knowledge to explain these patterns.
The only element that leaps to mind is that, for whatever reason, in most cultures women display religiosity to a materially greater extent than men. I am guessing that has some salience but I do not have a causal hypothesis for these patterns of belief.
But interesting.
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