Many Swedes believe in ghosts

Twenty-one percent of people in Sweden believe in ghosts and 20 percent said they have had a spiritual encounter, a newspaper survey indicated. Many of the 1,000 people who participated in the survey, conducted for the Svenska Dabladet newspaper, believe the dead walk the earth as ghosts and others said they have had contact with or felt the presence of ghosts, the Swedish news agency TT reported Monday. The newspaper said people over the age of 65 were less likely to believe in ghosts, with only 13 percent of respondents in that category. Liselotte Frisk, a professor of religious studies at Dalarna University, said the country is in the midst of a supernatural "renaissance." "Many television programs address the supernatural and strengthen the beliefs that exist in our culture," Frisk said. The Svenska Dagbladet said the survey was conducted by the Sifo polling firm,