To believe or not to believe? That is the question. But for many Brits surveyed by a global expert in family holiday rentals, Vrbo®, we’re a country full of believers – when it comes to ghosts and ghouls that is!

With the 31st October fast approaching, families will be preparing to celebrate Halloween and all things spooky. The new research from Vrbo reveals the belief in the supernatural is surprisingly common amongst families in the UK.

Belief in the paranormal:

With nearly two thirds of ‘believers’, over half (55%) are sure they have already met a ghost, whilst another 17% are not sure what it was they experienced when they found themselves in the presence of some sort of paranormal activity. Although we may believe in them, Brits aren’t particularly scared of ghosts. In fact, only 28% of those surveyed said they found ghosts and paranormal activity scary.

The research also revealed 6 in 10 respondents believe in haunted houses, with a third of those surveyed (32%) claiming to have already stayed in a haunted property in the UK. For those who haven’t done so previously, 44% said they would like to, with 22% being very keen on the idea of staying in a house with other ghostly guests.

With so many reports of alleged ‘spooky occurrences’ going on, it is no surprise that the majority of stays in haunted house occurred largely in the UK (38%), especially in Greater London (19%). The research also revealed further sightings by Brits across the North East and South East, as well as Wales.

And they’re not only seeing ghosts at home, with a quarter of British families also believing they have stayed in a haunted house abroad, with the highest percentage of these supernatural sightings occurring in a rather spooky Spain (16%), followed by frightening France (15%).

It’s not just adults who think things go bump in the night. In fact, nearly half (47%) of parents say their child has an imaginary friend that only they can see, with 8 in 10 parents revealing their child has previously wanted to take their imaginary friend on a family holiday with them too!

We’re all going on a ‘spooky’ holiday

From pumpkin carving to trick-or-treating to, going on holiday? It would appear going away for the 31st October is one way Brit’s choose to get into the Halloween spirit. Over a third of Brits revealed they plan to travel with their families this Halloween, with almost half of those families planning to do so for a true spooky experience!

Over a quarter (27%) said they like to travel on Halloween to get into the ‘spooky’ spirit whilst a further 21% admitted to planning proper ghost trips and travelling to allegedly haunted areas. And where was the most common destination for these ‘ghost hunter’ families seeking a thrill this October half term? Greater London.

Haunted London?

The research by Vrbo revealed London to be a hotspot for believers in ghosts and home to some spooky ‘goings-on’, with a whopping three quarters of families in London believing in the paranormal (76%) and Londoners being the most likely to have seen a ghost, compared to other regions in the UK, with nearly two thirds (63%) admitting to sightings.

This is hardly surprising, with the research highlighting many Brits have experienced, paranormal or unusual activity in two of the capitals most iconic attractions.

14% of families admitted to being spooked by something unusual when visiting the Tower of London, whilst a further 9% said they noticed something paranormal when walking round The British Museum, a location widely reported as being ‘haunted’, with reports[1] of inexplicable noises, spectral sightings and sudden drops in temperature being a common occurrence at the popular visitor attraction.

Scaredy cats?

Ever heard someone say they get a sense their pet can see something they can’t? Maybe it is true – surprisingly, it’s not just humans who are encountering the paranormal on a regular basis. Spooky sightings across the UK appear to be a whole family affair, including, supposedly, with our four-legged friends!

Over half (59%) of families surveyed believe their pets are able to see and sense paranormal activity, with a further third (37%) saying they believed their pet had in fact had a close encounter with something unusual! The most common sign of this was their pets either growling, hissing or snapping at something the humans couldn’t see.

When it comes to what scares us the most, spiders were high up on the list for many Brits (33%) as were environmental disasters (30%). 27% of Brits admitted to having acrophobia, a fear of heights, whilst a quarter of Brits said sharks were something that terrified them. And perhaps the most terrifying stat (although perhaps tongue in cheek), 10% even admitted to be scared of politicians!

Karen Mullins from Vrbo says: “As we creep towards the end of October and the school half term, we’re fascinated to see such high interest from families wanting to stay in a haunted property and experience things of the paranormal kind. Luckily, we cater for all types of family and of all sizes, both physical and ghost like, with plenty of space for imaginary friends too! We even have a number of properties on Vrbo that owners allegedly believe to be haunted… spooky!”