---
title: Ghosting is a Real Problem | Trendlines by Gradient
description: Forty-five percent of Americans believe in ghosts, but those with lower educational attainment are significantly more likely to believe.
image: https://i1.createsend1.com/ei/t/F3/B10/D37/csimport/2021-10-06_ghosts_plot_alt1.112827.png
---

![](https://i1.createsend1.com/ei/t/F3/B10/D37/csimport/2021-10-06_ghosts_plot_alt1.112827.png)

[Cory Manento](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/author/cory-manento)2021/10/061 min read

# Ghosting is a Real Problem

[Previous ](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/trendsegments-so-youre-telling-me-theres-a-chance)

<https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines>

[Next ](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/halloween-party-or-just-you-and-a-smartie)

We’ve officially entered the most magical time of the year when it becomes socially acceptable to watch terrible horror films. But how many Americans are *actually* seeing dead people?

 

![](https://i1.createsend1.com/ei/t/F3/B10/D37/csimport/2021-10-06_ghosts_plot_alt1.112827.png)

 

**Forty-five percent of Americans believe in ghosts, but those with lower educational attainment are significantly more likely to believe**. This can only mean that Bill Gates is microchipping graduation caps to push anti-ghost propaganda. Of those who believe in ghosts, a whopping 67% have personally encountered what they believe to be a ghost. So it's not so much seeing is believing as it is believing is seeing.

 

Beyond the ghost believers, 53% of Americans believe that a place can be “haunted.” An eclectic 18% *don’t* believe in ghosts but *do* believe in haunting, which can only mean that, like Shaggy, some people just get “bad feelings” about places. Unclear whether that 18% are also a bunch of [meddling kids](https://email.gradientmetrics.com/t/t-l-cililld-ghdlkkhkj-u/).

 

Ghosts aren’t the only creatures that have some Americans shaking in their boots, though belief in their existence is the most ubiquitous. **Sixteen percent believe that werewolves exist or once existed, 21% believe the same about vampires, and another 14% are worried about a zombie apocalypse**. If March 2020 was any indication, those 14% likely accumulated at least 98% of the toilet paper.

![avatar](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Landing%20Page/team_photos/gradient-cory.png?width=290&name=gradient-cory.png)

[Cory Manento

](https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/author/cory-manento)Cory holds a master’s degree and PhD in Political Science from Brown University, specializing in experimental survey research on voter attitudes, behavior, and electoral preferences. Coming from a background in which success is achieved through rigorous causal inference and sharp research design, Cory thrives on translating client needs into testable questions that yield actionable results.

[mailto:cory@gradientmetrics.com](mailto:cory@gradientmetrics.com)

## RELATED ARTICLES

<https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/ghosting-is-a-real-problem#>

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Organization",
  "address" : {
    "@type" : "PostalAddress",
    "addressCountry" : "",
    "addressLocality" : "Brooklyn",
    "addressRegion" : "New York",
    "postalCode" : "NY 11249",
    "streetAddress" : "325 Kent Avenue"
  },
  "email" : "hello@power.com",
  "knowsLanguage" : "en",
  "logo" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "url" : "https://www.gradientmetrics.com/hubfs/branding/default/gradient_default_black.png"
  },
  "name" : "Gradient Metrics",
  "telephone" : "+49 (0) 89 123 456",
  "url" : "https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/ghosting-is-a-real-problem"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "abstract" : "Forty-five percent of Americans believe in ghosts, but those with lower educational attainment are significantly more likely to believe.",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Cory Manento"
  },
  "dateModified" : "July 21, 2022 9 PM",
  "datePublished" : "October 6, 2021 5 PM",
  "headline" : "Ghosting is a Real Problem",
  "image" : "https://i1.createsend1.com/ei/t/F3/B10/D37/csimport/2021-10-06_ghosts_plot_alt1.112827.png",
  "inLanguage" : "en",
  "keywords" : "[Out There]",
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "name" : "Ghosting is a Real Problem",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://www.gradientmetrics.com/hubfs/branding/default/gradient_default_black.png"
    },
    "name" : "Gradient Metrics"
  },
  "text" : "We’ve officially entered the most magical time of the year when it becomes socially acceptable to watch terrible horror films. But how many Americans are actually seeing dead people? Forty-five percent of Americans believe in ghosts, but those with lower educational attainment are significantly more likely to believe. This can only mean that Bill Gates is microchipping graduation caps to push anti-ghost propaganda. Of those who believe in ghosts, a whopping 67% have personally encountered what they believe to be a ghost. So it's not so much seeing is believing as it is believing is seeing. Beyond the ghost believers, 53% of Americans believe that a place can be “haunted.” An eclectic 18% don’t believe in ghosts but do believe in haunting, which can only mean that, like Shaggy, some people just get “bad feelings” about places. Unclear whether that 18% are also a bunch of meddling kids. Ghosts aren’t the only creatures that have some Americans shaking in their boots, though belief in their existence is the most ubiquitous. Sixteen percent believe that werewolves exist or once existed, 21% believe the same about vampires, and another 14% are worried about a zombie apocalypse. If March 2020 was any indication, those 14% likely accumulated at least 98% of the toilet paper.",
  "url" : "https://www.gradientmetrics.com/trendlines/ghosting-is-a-real-problem",
  "wordCount" : "340"
}
```