Belief In Spirits And The Afterlife Common Around the World
Belief in the supernatural — including life after death and the idea that animals and nature can possess spirits — is common across diverse cultures and religions, with younger and older generations sharing similar views, a new survey reveals.
The global study released on Tuesday by the Pew Research Center, which surveyed over 50,000 people across 36 countries on six continents, is one of the most comprehensive looks to date at spirituality and religious belief worldwide.
The study found that spiritual beliefs often transcend religious affiliation, geography and age.
“Over the last two decades, we’ve conducted surveys about religion and spirituality in more than 100 countries and territories,” the study said. “But in this survey, for the first time, we asked more than 50,000 people across six continents about some beliefs and practices that we previously had explored only in Asia or the United States.”
The findings paint a nuanced picture of global spirituality, suggesting that beliefs in the unseen — from the souls of animals to the prospect of an afterlife — are deeply embedded in human cultures and persist even as traditional faith fades.
One of the most striking findings: Belief in life after death is widespread. In Indonesia and Kenya, where the majority of the population is Muslim and Christian, respectively, over 80% of adults say they believe in an afterlife.
In the United States, 70% expressed belief in life after death — a number that closely tracks with belief in heaven (67%) and surpasses belief in hell (55%), according to related Pew data from last year.
Spiritual views on nature pervasive
Majorities in most countries said they believe that animals can have spirits or spiritual energies. This view is especially prevalent in India (83%), Turkey (81%), and Argentina (76%). In Israel, the world's only Jewish-majority country, 70% of adults responded that they hold this belief. Even in the U.S., where traditional religious affiliation is on the decline, 57% of adults say animals can have spirits.
The study also points to the spiritual beliefs of the religiously unaffiliated. In Japan, despite most adults not identifying with a religion, 53% believe animals can have spirits and 56% believe nature itself can hold spiritual energy.
In contrast to past research that often found older adults more likely to express religious beliefs, the new survey shows that younger adults are just as likely — and in some cases more likely — to hold spiritual beliefs. In about half of the countries surveyed, younger adults are more likely than older generations to believe animals can have spirits.
In 10 countries, belief in reincarnation is more common among youngest adults compared to older ones.
“As in past surveys,” Pew study found, “we still find that older adults generally are more religious than younger adults when asked about topics like belief in God, attending religious services and the personal importance of religion.”
Pew Research said data for this survey was collected between January and May 2024 from international participants. U.S. data came from surveys conducted between summer 2023 and early 2024.
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged.