Belief in ghosts rises across secular Sweden
Fake ghosts and ghouls will be taking to streets around Sweden this weekend, as towns and cities celebrate Halloween. But it seems that more and more people are embracing the idea of supernatural beings year-round.
According to a new survey, the number of Swedes polled who believe in ghosts has increased from 12 to 16 percent since 2008. The research was carried out by the Demoskop polling firm for The Swedish Sceptics' Association (Föreningen vetenskap och folkbildning), a not-for-profit organization designed to raise the public’s awareness of scientific methods and results.
Meanwhile 37 percent people asked for the study said that they believed in “paranormal phenomena” that could not be explained by science, up from 33 percent seven years ago.
The growing interest in the living dead comes amid a huge drop in belief in a god.
Only 21 percent of people quizzed said that they were believers, down from 35 percent. If the trend continues, this means that more Swedes could soon believe in ghosts than in a god.
"I’m not surprised at all," said David Thurfjell, professor of religion at Södertörn University, who has carried out separate research on the secularization in Sweden.
http://www.thelocal.se/20151030/belief-in-ghosts-rises-in-secular-sweden