Unless you live in Transylvania County, N.C., Tombstone, Ariz , Pumpkin Center, N.C. or Skull Creek, Neb., you’re probably surprised that 34% of people in a recent poll say they believe in ghosts and unidentified flying objects or even that 19% accept the existence of spells or witchcraft.
According to a pre-Halloween poll of 1,013 adults by The Associated Press and Ipsos, a smaller but still substantial 23% say they have actually seen a ghost or believe they have been in one’s presence, with the most likely candidates for such visits including single people, Catholics and those who never attend religious services. By 31% to 18%, more liberals than conservatives report seeing a specter. Three in 10 have awakened sensing a strange presence in the room. For whatever it says about matrimony, singles are more likely than married people to say so, the AP said. Forty-eight percent believe in extrasensory perception, or ESP.
While ghosts and witches may be subject to interpretation, there are some wacky facts from the US Census Bureau about Halloween that can’t be argued with:
1 billion pounds: Total production of major pumpkin-producing states in 2006. Illinois led the country by producing 492 million pounds of the vined orange gourd. Pumpkin patches in California, Ohio and Pennsylvania also provided lots of pumpkins: Each state produced at least 100 million pounds. The value of all pumpkins produced by major pumpkin-producing states was $101 million.
Trick or treat: The estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2006 was 36.1 million — children 5 to 13 — across the United States, down 45,000 from 2005. Of course, many other children — older than 13, and younger than 5 — also go trick-or-treating. Little piggies: Most of the 26 pounds per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2006 is believed to be consumed around Halloween.
1,198: The number of U.S. manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2005, employing 38,718 people and shipping $13.6 billion worth of goods. California led the nation in the number of chocolate and cocoa manufacturing establishments, with 128, followed by Pennsylvania, with 121. Some 477 U.S. establishments manufactured nonchocolate confectionary products in 2005. These establishments employed 21,389 people and shipped $7.6 billion worth of goods that year. California also led the nation in this category, with 73 establishments.
Boo!: 93% of households who consider their neighborhood safe. In addition,78% said they were not afraid to walk alone at night. Beyond the census report, there are a number of other very interesting Halloween tricks and treats you might want to check out. For example, here we have the 15 Networkiest Halloween Films, Computer Generated Horror Stories, and the 2007 Network Industry Graveyard.
If you want to listen in on an entertaining history of Halloween, try the Anomolies.Net Halloween Special where they will be exploring the history of Halloween as told by host Jeremiah Greer.
