Do you believe in ghosts? You should. The chances are, you are one.

According to a Yougov poll conducted in 2021, roughly 40% of people polled believe in the traditional sort of ghost - a spirit that shows up and haunts a person or place. And almost 20% of those polled believe that they’ve had an encounter with such a ghost.

But Laurell Moffatt has her eyes trained on a different kind of ghost - a more current type, which is almost the complete opposite of the traditional phantom. Ghosts these days don’t show up, instead, we use the term ‘to ghost’ to describe the actions of the living who decide to disappear from someone’s life. 

In another poll about the experience of being ghosted, roughly the same percentage of people who say they believe in ghosts - 40% - have been ghosted by a friend. Other data suggests that this number climbs significantly for those in romantic relationships, with 60% saying they have been ghosted and 45% saying they’ve done the ghosting.

That means not only are most of us likely to encounter a ghost - to be 'ghosted' so to speak - but there's a high degree of likelihood that we will ghost someone else at some stage in our lives.

The question is, what effect does having so many ghosts running around have on society at large?

LINKS

Learn all about the supernatural beliefs of the average American here.

And here are some thoughts on what to do if you are ghosted by a friend.