Halloween stats: 40% of Republicans and Democrats believe in ghosts

The pollsters have not overlooked Halloween. New research reveals that 41% of U.S. adults believe that ghosts exist — and that includes 40% of both Republicans and Democrats. Another 43% overall also believe demons exist; 51% of Republicans and 34% of Democrats agree.

The source is a YouGov poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 8-12.

“While 41% of Americans believe that ghosts exist, about half as many (20%) say they have personally encountered a ghost. Women (25%) are more likely than men (16%) to say they have had at least one personal experience with a ghost,” the pollster said in an analysis.

“Fewer Americans (11%) say that they’ve personally encountered a demon, and hardly any say they’ve crossed paths with a werewolf (4%) or a vampire (3%). About one in nine (11%) have encountered supernatural beings of a different type,” the analysis said.

The public taste for commercial haunted houses also has grown. The Dallas, Tex.-based Haunted Attraction Association has this to say about the business — which is indeed a business, and a big one:

“The Haunted Attraction Association serves as the voice of the haunted attraction industry. Our mission is to promote our worldwide network of haunted attractions including Haunted Houses, Haunted Hayrides, Scream Parks, Mega-Haunts, Halloween Festivals, Haunted Outdoor Trails, Corn Mazes, and Amusement Park Halloween Events. Our goal is to protect our customers through education and networking of our members,” the group said in a statement.

Halloween is also a billion-dollar occasion. Americans are expected to drop an unprecedented $10.1 billion on the celebration according to the National Retail Federation, which advises that 65% of the population are expected to join in festivities. On average consumers spend $102.74 on costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards — $10 more than they planned to spend last year.

The survey of 8,061 U.S. adults was conducted September 1-8.

In the meantime, a Morning Consult poll of 2,200 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 1-5 revealed that M&M’s are the favorite Halloween candy of all among Americans, followed by Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, KitKat, Hershey Bars and Snickers, to round out the top-five.