Up-to-date research shows that almost half of Canadians believe in paranormal phenomena – ghosts and so on

What would you say if you were told that paranormal phenomena existed? Well, almost half of Canadians would agree with that.

What exactly is a paranormal phenomenon? It refers to phenomena that science cannot explain and are not part of a larger religion in a specific society. Religious phenomena, on the other hand, are part of established doctrine. For example, in Canada, psychic abilities and Bigfoot or Sasquatch are considered paranormal phenomena, while angels and demons are associated with religion.

In the summer of 2025, we launched a study of Canadian attitudes toward confidential paranormal beliefs. And for first time we have had nationally representative data on paranormal beliefs and encounters in Canada for decades.

Although news outlets regularly publish stories about paranormal activity on Halloween, the results they discuss are usually based on convenience samples. Our study is the first in 20 years to employ such a study randomly selected people the Canadian population to ask these questions, which means the results are representative.

And it turns out that almost every second Canadian believes in at least one paranormal phenomenon, and a quarter reports encounters with ghosts.

We asked about ghost hauntings, alien visits, psychic abilities, telekinesis, astrology and other unexplained phenomena. We also asked about cryptids – animals or creatures whose existence has been suggested but (yet) not proven by science – specific to Canada. These include creatures rooted in First Nations folklore, such as the enormous serpentine sea monster, Cadborosaurus off the coast of BC and Ogopogo in Okanagan Lake.

Believers, skeptics and people in between

Canada is one of the world Very secular societies. In this case, religion has little impact on the way people behave and view the world.

However, the way Canadians think about the paranormal remains largely unknown. Collecting representative data in Canada is costly, and few sociologists believe that studying belief in the paranormal is vital. The combination of these two factors means that Canadian paranormal beliefs have remained unexplored for decades.

We found that Canadians have embraced the paranormal to some degree.

Almost half – 44 percent. – believes in at least one paranormal phenomenon. About one-third said they did not believe in any paranormal phenomena but were neutral about at least one. For example, several respondents did not believe in ghosts but were hesitant about visits from extraterrestrials.

Only about a quarter said they did not believe in any of the 10 phenomena we asked about. The percentage of definitely non-believers is similar to the 28% in the survey United States and United Kingdom Belief varied depending on the specific phenomenon. People most often believed in ghost visitations.

Overall, Canadians are more likely to believe in at least one paranormal phenomenon than none.

Who is most likely to believe?

Belief patterns vary somewhat by demographic group.

Women believe in ghosts and fairies more often than men, which shows how women are more likely to openness to phenomena of a spiritual dimension.

People with a bachelor's degree or higher are less likely to believe in most paranormal phenomena. There are few racial and ethnic differences.

Interestingly, people aged 19-29 are less likely to believe in many paranormal phenomena than people aged 30-44 or 45-64. These findings suggest that juvenile Canadians tend to abandon all unscientific belief systems, both religious and paranormal.

There is little variation by region or language, although Francophones are less likely to believe in Sasquatch than English speakers.

Paranormal experiences in Canada

About a quarter of Canadians say they have heard, seen or felt a ghost or spirit. Some experiences were related to religion, such as the feeling of the Christian Holy Spirit.

More often than not, experiences were associated with death of a loved one and had personal meaning. As one participant explained: “Shortly after my mother died, I suddenly woke up and she was standing next to my bed. She smiled at me and disappeared. I felt comforted.”

Others have reported scary encounters associated with a particular location. Another participant wrote: “I was managing a motel and I saw a ghostly man walking on the upper balcony. I asked the residents and they said on the property that the motel was open, there was a house that burned down – and he lived in that house!”

Crypt sightings are less common.

“I was operating a high-clearance sprayer on a 1,300-acre field. I was sitting in the cab of the machine at a height of about 3 meters,” said one participant. “I came around the corner of a cliff and saw a shadowy, two-legged creature. It was furry, had a long snout and long arms, and in an instant it turned into a moose. To this day I have no idea what it was.”

What our beliefs reveal

Our goal is not to prove or disprove any experiences or beliefs, but to analyze what they mean for individuals and Canada.

To this end, our survey found that while many Canadians have replaced or supplemented religious beliefs with belief in the paranormal, most trust science. Belief in the paranormal or in religion does not mean that Canadians reject science, but rather that they believe that certain phenomena cannot yet be explained by science.

While it's fun – or scary – to think about paranormal activity around Halloween, it's also part of the everyday belief system of many Canadians.