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Report on Hoax n' Jokes or the Real Deal?
Smart girls decide for themselves™.
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Hey spooked-out SmartGirls! SmartGirl users participated from all over the world: United States, Europe, Malaysia, Egypt, Australia and more! The average age of our SmartGirl respondent is 12 and half.
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| How old are you? |
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"I believe in ghosts or the supernatural." How many agreed or disagreed to this statement?
18% strongly agree in believing in ghosts and/or the supernatural
41% agree in believing in ghosts and/or the supernatural
30% disagree in the statement above
12% strongly disagree in the statement above
With this statement, "I think that things supernatural are..."
24.5% think that the supernatural is just for fun
25% think that the supernatural is simply for entertainment purposes
29% think that the supernatural is as real as it gets
21% think that the supernatural is incredibly creepy
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| I think that things supernatural are.. |
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count | percent |
I think
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| Fun |
87 | 24.58 |
| Entertain |
90 | 25.42 |
| Real |
103 | 29.1 |
| Creepy |
74 | 20.9 |
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There are different ways you can get in touch with the supernatural: tarot card reading, palm reading and even consulting with a psychic reader. How many SmartGirl users believe in...
Palm reading?
~15% said yes, I definitely believe in it
~45% said no way--it's a bunch of bologna
~38% said they could be true, it depends on if a professional does it
~2% said they had no idea what a palm reader is or does
Tarot card readings?
~15% said yes, I definitely believe in it
~43% said no way--it's a bunch of bologna
~39% said they could be true, it depends on if a professional does it
~11% said they had no idea what a palm reader is or does
Horoscopes
Ever looking in the magazines, newspaper of online for your latest horoscope? (Don't forget to check out the SmartGirl SmartScopes too!) Has your horoscope ever come true?
50% say yes, right down to my lucky numbers!
35% say no
15% say they've never read or had my horoscope taken.
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| Has your horoscope ever come true? |
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Have you ever called a psychic from an ad that you saw on television or heard on the radio?
~95% said no way-- I wouldn't waste my money!
~4% said yes I have called once
~1% said yes I have called more than once
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| Ever call a psychic? |
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Some schools have banned or talked about banning JK Rowling's popular Harry Potter series from school property because they think it is promoting witchcraft and other things that could be potentially dangerous. Let's find out what SmartGirls say:
“I love Harry Potter so much I almost resent anyone who believes it's "against their religion." That's not what Harry Potter's about! It's about adventures that wouldn't happen under ordinary circumstances. J.K. Rowling is just trying to make things different, more exciting and real. What adults don't know is the fact that we understand about Harry Potter. We know it is fiction. We know it isn't real. We know there is no such thing as witches, or witchcraft, or anything like that! What I don't understand is, they are simple books that children (and more than a few adults) love? And how can a children's story be potentially dangerous! They can't and that's the point.”
“If people are going to ban books because they talk about things such as witchcraft, they're going to end up banning a lot of really good books. There is always going to be something in a book that one person or another finds inappropriate or offensive. The schools should let the parents choose what their kids read, not the school.”
“I think that Harry Potter is a bunch of fiction that most people love. I don't think that kids are going to join up in witchcraft after reading it; they simply like to read it (or watch it). How many kids have you heard of that have become 'witches' after reading the book?”
“I think that schools should allow Harry Potter, although I don’t believe it should be required. I have read all the Harry Potter books, and I think that they are fun to read. I love them. In some places, people might try to 'experiment' with some of the 'spells' and stuff, but they're just experimenting, and not hurting anyone. The book doesn’t really explain much of that stuff anyways. -- I think that schools and homes etc. should allow them. They're fun!”
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In the 17th century many women were killed during the Salem Witch Trials because they were accused of practicing acts of the devil. Do you think an event like this could happen again or has it already happened recently?
“In a way I think that it has happened. The Holocaust was created because the Nazis thought Jews were doing these 'bad things' and millions were killed. While something like this wouldn't happen in the US again, because of our laws and rights and so on, it could be happening easily in other countries.”
“I don't think the exact same thing would happen, but I do think that something similar is definitely possible, and it's already happening on a smaller scale with the persecutions of Arabs and Muslims in my country.”
“I think that it could happen again because then all someone had to do was to say that a person was practicing witchcraft and that person would be killed. Now, people will still believe whatever they hear, and if they hear that someone is a threat due to witchcraft and is hurting people, that could possibly happen again.”
“Yes. I think something like that could happen. People blame their problems on someone by accusing them of something very feared or making something they are feared. It has happened before. It happens daily in schools. On a much smaller scale of course but it still happens all the same. On a very large scale was the Holocaust.”
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UFO stands for "An unidentified flying object". How many of you agree with this statement:
"I think that UFOs do exist, there's proof "floating" all over the place!"
~9% strongly agrees
~30% agree
~35% disagree
~25% strongly disagree
Do you believe there is life on other planets—specifically life that can communicate back to us in some form or another?
Out of 349 responses:
~106 said yes, they believe that there is life on other planets
~89 said no, they do not believe that life exists out there
~154 said they are undecided
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| I think that UFOs do exist, there's proof "floating" all over the place! |
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count | percent |
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UFO
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| sagree |
32 | 9.14 |
| agree |
105 | 30 |
| disagree |
124 | 35.43 |
| sdisagree |
89 | 25.43 |
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Volcano eruptions, the El Nino, tornados and storms... Do you think that natural phenomenon (for example, lightning) are influenced by witchcraft or paranormal practices? Let's find out what SmartGirls believe in:
“Honestly, I have no clue. I believe that everything has a scientific explanation, but that doesn't mean that we know all the scientific explanations out there. There could be evidence that paranormal practices do influence natural phenomenon and we don't know about it. Or it could be a bunch of bologna. The point is, we have no way of knowing as of now.”
“No, that's just the work of Mother Nature. I know, I'm taking a really boring meteorology/astrology class right now.”
“Maybe, and maybe not. Lighting has been scientifically proven to happen when..... but there might be some of the supernatural involved!”
“Well, I don't know. I think there are a few people who are supernatural but I don't believe they make money out of it. Anyone on TV who says they are physic are not. Well, that's what I believe.”
“No. I think that it would be cool to think so. I really like to read about myths that say the gods create lightning out of anger, but that doesn't mean I believe in it.”
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Are you a fate-believer? Fate is defined as "force" or destiny that pre-determines an event. Let's see how many SmartGirls believe in fate! 76% of SmartGirls believe in fate, while 24% do not.
What about De-ja vu?
You walk into a store, see a person that you know, in your heart and mind you've seen before, but actually, you've never been there before! How can we explain that? De Je Vu or course! It means "The sensation of seeing or doing something that you have done before, even though you really haven't done it"
Let's see how many of you have felt that before. A unsurprising 79% of respondents said they have experienced that feeling before, close to 3% said they have not felt that, and close to 19% said they are not sure!
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| Have you ever experienced dé·jà vu? |
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Have you ever had an uneasy feeling that you have come in contact with someone or something paranormal (i.e. supernatural, ghosts, premonitions, etc.)?
“Once when I was walking along the pavement I seemed to step out of my shoes for about six seconds and looked at myself walking along. I remember thinking about another life I was living. This was three years ago.”
“Well, I think it is nice to dream, but people shouldn't get lost in them. I reckon paranormal only exists because people want it too - they want excitement, instead of a straight forward world.”
“No, but I listen to other people's stories and watch TV somewhat. They seem so confident about it, I guess that's why I tend to believe in it.”
“I'm not sure if this was a hallucination, but one day I glanced into my sitting room and I was nearly sure I saw a male middle aged ghost sitting in an armchair. I got really freaked out”
“I once had this dream about a volcano erupting, and there was an eruption in Africa the next day. Also, I dreamt my teacher was ill and the next day she was coughing really badly!”
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People have talked about dreams as being a sign of our subconscious speaking to us. Some people believe that dreams tell us things or forshadows about things that are about to come. How many of you believe that dreams are the key to unlocking your future and guiding your actions?
~16% strongly agree
~38% agree
~34% disagree
~12% strongly disagree
Do you also believe in dreams that show you things that acutally happend later in your life?
Wow! Close to 62% of SmartGirls believe that dreams show you things that happened later in life. The other 38% do not believe that dreams have that much power.
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| Do you also believe in dreams that show you things that acutally happend later in your life? |
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Have you ever played with a Ouija board? (A game where everyone puts their hands on a small dial and thinks of a question to ask the board. The dial then moves across the board onto different letters to spell out the answer)
Out of 358 responses, 211 do not play the Ouija board! 96 SmartGirls have reported that they played the game, and 51 people said they have never set their fingers on the board game.
"Light as a feather, Stiff as a Board", ring a bell to anyone?
Have you ever played "light as a feather, stiff as board"? (Where one person lies flat while everyone around them puts two fingers from each hand under the body and chants, "light as a feather, stiff as a board." The person lying down thinks in their head, "I am light as a feather." Once this chant continues for a few minutes the person begins to "levitate" on your fingers.)
About 30% said they have played this game before, 39% said they do not play the game, and 31% said they have never played the game before.
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| Have you ever played with a Ouija board? |
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Legends and myths are stories that have been told through many generations. Do you believe in certain legends, stories, or myths you hear about the paranormal? Out of 345 responses:
~85 of SmartGirls responded yes
~77 of SmartGirls responded no
~183 of SmartGirls responded that it depends on the story!
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| Do you believe in certain legends, stories, or myths you hear about the paranormal? |
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Has a sci-fi, scary, or supernatural movie ever freaked you out so much that you decided not to do something you normally do?
A total of 339 SmartGirl respondents answered this question. 146 respondents agree that movies are so scary that people have decided not to do something they normally do. 193 respondents said they are not fooled by scary movies.
TV Shows
What is your favorite TV show that deals with the supernatural? Check out the table below!
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| What is your favorite TV show that deals with the supernatural? |
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count | percent |
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FavTV
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| Angel |
11 | 3.17 |
| Bewitched |
16 | 4.61 |
| BigWolf |
6 | 1.73 |
| Buffy |
30 | 8.65 |
| Charmed |
64 | 18.44 |
| Dracula |
1 | 0.29 |
| Sabrina |
95 | 27.38 |
| Tales |
8 | 2.31 |
| Raven |
52 | 14.99 |
| X-files |
15 | 4.32 |
| Unsolved |
21 | 6.05 |
| other |
28 | 8.07 |
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We asked you "In ancient times people or things (i.e. Nostradamus, Chinese Astrology, Egyptian hieroglyphics, etc.) predicted events that happened far, far into the future--hundreds of years after they were written. Do you think that they really predicted the future?" Here's what SmartGirls said:
“The predictions were probably vague. When the Dalai Lama said: when the brothers fall and a city is on fire, World War III will begin. People reckon he was talking about September 11 because he 'predicted' it 10 years ago. But it could have meant anything.”
“I believe they predicted something that happened. And since history repeats itself they did predict things that happened far into the future. History repeats itself because humans essentially will never change. Everything we do, everything we think, revolves around our survival.”
“They could have. A lot of the languages were lost and therefore many people couldn't have discovered the words (except for archeologists). I really like Egypt, and Chinese Astrology is really cool, so it's easier for me to say they could be telling the truth.”
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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts
with us!
Please remember that all web-based polls
are not scientific because the pollsters cannot randomly select the
respondents to participate in the surveys.
All our surveys are anonymous; check out our privacy
policy. All data copyright 1996-2000.
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