ITV Mystery Map survey

--

Just under half of all men (44%) believe aliens exist, according to a survey commissioned for new ITV programme Mystery Map.

It also found that a third of the population (30%) believe in ghosts and a quarter of women (25%) think dogs are telepathic. The survey, which measured levels of belief in the supernatural and unusual happenings in different regions, found that people living in East Anglia are most likely to believe in aliens, evils spirits and poltergeists.

Over 1000 people from around the UK were surveyed by YouGov to coincide with the launch of the two-part series.

Mystery Map, presented by Ben Shephard and Julia Bradbury explores some of the nation's best-known mysteries and myths such as the Beast of Bodmin Moor, the Rendlesham UFO incident as well as phenomena such as spontaneous human combustion.

The survey found that just under half the population (45%) think the government has at some point covered up evidence of paranormal or extra terrestrial activity. One in ten people (11%) claim to have seen a UFO.

It also looked at regional attitudes to UFOS and aliens and found that in East Anglia, almost half the population (43%) believe in aliens. Rendlesham, where a UFO was spotted in the 1980s, is located in East Anglia.

Other parts of the country are less believing, only a quarter of people in the South West think aliens exist (25%). In the North West, 40% of people believe in aliens but in London that number falls to 28%.

As well as finding out more about the nation's beliefs in UFOs, the survey also reveals our attitudes towards the supernatural. It found that a third of adults (30%) believe in ghosts and this number rises to 44% in the North West of England. People in Yorkshire and the Humber are also believers - 43% of the region think ghosts exist.

One in five people (20%) claim to have seen a ghost and 61% of British women surveyed claim to have felt a physical presence or strange sensation when there was no rational explanation for it.

In East Anglia, 20% of the population believe evil spirits exist and 21% believe in poltergeists. In Wales and the West Country only 6% of people believe in evil spirits and 8% of adults believe in poltergeists.

Only 8% of the population believe the Beast of Bodmin moor exists which is one of the myths investigated by Ben Shephard on Mystery Map.

Another mystery Ben Shephard investigates is whether dogs have ESP. The survey found that a quarter of women (25%) think dogs are telepathic. And a quarter (23%) of the population think that one day some animals will be able to have conversations with humans.

Mystery Map uses reconstructions and interviews with eyewitnesses, experts and historians to bring each myth to life. The presenters look at possible explanations and consider how the myths came about and why people believe in them.

In the first episode of the series, Ben heads to York to spend a night in the Guy Fawkes Inn where the ghost of Guy Fawkes is said to haunt its rooms. He also immerses himself deep in Rendlesham Forest, the location of Britain's most famous UFO incident, and investigates the mystery of a pilot who went missing after setting out on a solo flight in Scotland.

Meanwhile Julia heads north to Manchester Museum to discover more about a spinning' ancient Egyptian relic. She also looks into the story of a phantom' plane crash in 1997 over the moors of Sheffield. Julia also visits Hampton Court where a mysterious figure believed to be a ghost was caught on CCTV.

Notes to Editors:

Mystery Map is on ITV on Wednesday 20th November at 8pm.

The survey of 1002 people was carried out by YouGov.

LINK:	http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itv-mystery-map-survey...
	See more stories from itv

Most recent headlines