A new national survey reports that nearly half of Canadians believe in ghosts and that of the 1,000 Canadians polled, one in 10 have checked into a haunted hotel, motel, inn or rental, with nearly half of guests (45%) claiming they had a spooky paranormal experience during their stay. A further two in 10 (21%) said they would “absolutely” want to stay in a haunted hotel.
The Ipsos survey, commissioned by paranormal television broadcaster T+E to celebrate the second installment of the broadcaster’s original series “Hotel Paranormal” (narrated by be Dan Aykroyd) found that 46% of Canadians said they believe in ghosts.
Among them, Gen X’ers (55%) and Millennials (52%) are the most likely to believe in ghosts, followed closely by Gen Z (49%), while only one in three Boomers (33%) say they believe.
Across the country, Albertans are the most likely to believe in the supernatural: nearly six in 10 (57%) say they believe in ghosts, placing them well ahead of BC (39%) and Ontario (42%). Roughly half of those in the Prairies (49%), Quebec (48%) and Atlantic Canada (50%) say they believe in ghosts.
Overall, just one in three (34%) Canadians are firm ghost skeptics, with two in 10 (20%) unsure what to believe.
Additionally, the survey says many Canadians have actively taken matters into their own hands to contact spirits from beyond the grave. At some point, nearly half (45%) have either used a Ouija board (32%), consulted a psychic (20%) or a medium (11%), or participated in a séance (4%).
Among those who believe in ghosts, 60% have tried at least one of these methods of connecting with the other side, with Ouija boards (40%) and psychics (30%) being the most popular.
“The fact that one in 10 Canadians have stayed in a haunted hotel and nearly half of Canadians have felt the presence of a ghost is very exciting, as it shows you have a good chance of witnessing something spooky. Hotel walls hold so many stories, and not all of them are good, so they’re the perfect place for an unrested soul to dwell,” says paranormal expert and psychic medium Deborah Louise Levin.
Who ya wanna meet?
There is no shortage of famous ghosts and when it comes to hotels, a number of guest rooms around the world may be haunted by the spirits of celebrities who have passed away within their walls. One in four Canadians said they would want to “meet” the ghost of beloved Canadian actor and comedian John Candy if given the chance. Rock legends Jimi Hendrix (12%) and Janis Joplin (10%) are next in line, followed by iconic fashion designer Coco Chanel (7%) and (very spookily) former British PM Margaret Thatcher (6%).