NEWS COPY
Four in 10 Brits are convinced they have seen a ghost, according to new research.
In fact, over the course of their lifetime, they believe they've either seen a ghost or experienced some form of paranormal activity SIX times.
Incredibly, a third of respondents claim to have been confronted by the spirit of a dead friend or a relative.
The most likely locations for these close encounters were found to be in the house, at a hotel, in an abandoned building or even in a hospital.
Two in five believers in the spirit world say they've seen the "full apparition" of a ghost while a quarter has witnessed a moving object.
The research found that more than eight in 10 of those who have witnessed some form of paranormal activity have opened up about their experience to friends and relatives.
The majority were encouraged to go into more detail, but many were laughed at or told they were 'crazy'.
A spooks-woman for Ripley's Believe it or Not! London which commissioned the study, said: "Ghost stories are so popular now that even if you're not a 'believer' you're likely to find them entertaining, especially around this time of the year. We love people sharing their unusual experiences with us as after all, we are the home of the unbelievable!"
During this time of year, many Brits are on the lookout for ghosts and ghouls, but only one in 20 have actually ever had anything unusual happen to them at Halloween.
But despite believing in paranormal activity, British adults are fairly clueless about what Halloween is all about.
In fact three quarters of those polled didn't know the famous magician Harry Houdini died on the 31 st October and 71 per cent were unaware that the original Jack O'Lanterns were made from turnips rather than pumpkins like today.
There are many people around the world who have a phobia of Halloween, but only 24 per cent of Brits were able to identify this condition as "Samhainophobia".
And many respondents were unaware that Halloween originated in Ireland.
Only one in seven adults have been either ghost hunting or on a ghost walk during their lives and one in five believe you're more likely to experience something paranormal in the country instead of the city.
The few people who had experienced unusual occurrences on All Hallows' Eve, told of strange noises in the loft and seeing strange faces in the mirror.
The spooks-woman added: "Believe it or not, while America tends to celebrate Halloween a little more than we do here in the UK, it actually originated in Ireland with the Celts.
"We think Halloween is great fun and we will be celebrating it in style, whether you want to wander through our dungeon area and marvel at our vampire killing kit or if you would rather take part in family-friendly activities such as face painting and balloon modelling, there is something for everyone during Halloween."
TOP 10 MOST COMMON GHOSTLY SIGHTINGS- A full apparition of a person
- A moving object
- A 'orb'
- A full apparition of an animal
- A full apparition of a child
- Hearing a laugh
- The partial apparition of a head
- The partial apparition of a hand
- Hearing a child's laugh
- Hearing a loud scream
ENDS
Notes to EditorsAbout Ripley's Believe It or Not! London:With more than 700 amazing artefacts on display, the attraction celebrates the weird, wonderful and bizarre in all its forms. With everything you can imagine (and plenty more you can't), Ripley's Believe It or Not! London is a family day out that's definitely out of the ordinary. For additional information call +44 (0)20 3238 0022 or visit www.ripleyslondon.com. Like Ripley's Believe It or Not! London on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/RipleysLondon
Media Enquires and high res images:Naomi Finn [email protected] / 0207 494 6814
