Surveys of academic opinion regarding parapsychology

Six key surveys of academic opinion have been reported that, since the inception of parapsychology in the 1930s, have addressed largely the same four main questions, albeit to somewhat different populations.

• The first study of this kind was conducted in the later 1930s and involved an extensive survey of the 603 full members of the American Psychological Association (APA), achieving a response-rate of 58%, .
• A further study with the same method was conducted in the early 1950s, involving 515 APA members, achieving a 70% response-rate.
• Two further polls conducted in the 1950s targeted new associates of the APA.
• A 1973 survey of readers of the science magazine New Scientist – while involving an unselected sample – produced similar results. From a possible 72,000 copies of the magazine being sold, there were 1,416 returns; 63% of respondents with degrees, and 13% being students.
• A larger and more representative study during the late 1970s surveyed 2400 randomly selected college professors of large academic institutions, from the faculties of social and natural sciences, humanities, arts and education, achieving a 50% response-rate with demographics suggesting the sample was representative of the population.
• A more restricted sample of the early 1980s was based on 339 responding council members and selected section committee members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Is ESP an established fact or likely possibility?

• 9% of the 1930s US psychologists agreed
• 17% of the 1950s US psychologists agreed
• 32% of the new 1950s US psychologists agreed
• 67% of the 1970s New Scientist readers agreed
• 66% of the 1970s college professors agreed
• 29% of the 1980s AAAS leaders agreed

This question also permitted an option to deny the possibility of ESP. Those indicating this option were as follows.

• 15% of the 1930s US psychologists denied
• 10% of the 1950s US psychologists denied
• 7% of the new 1950s US psychologists denied
• 3% of the 1970s New Scientist readers agreed
• 4% of the 1970s college professors denied
• 9% of the 1980s AAAS leaders denied

Additionally, the survey of AAAS leaders gave the following related attitude for rating:

• "There is insufficient evidence for psychic ability" – 71% agreed.

Is ESP a legitimate scientific undertaking?

• 89% of the 1930s psychologists agreed (76% indicated that it should be studied within academic psychology)
• 89% of the 1950s psychologists agreed (exactly the same proportion as in the 1930s)
• 94% of the new 1950s psychologists agreed
• 85% of the 1970s New Scientist readers agreed (20% considered ESP to be within the province of psychology; many commented that physics would be more appropriate)
• 84% of the 1970s college professors agreed
• 69% of the 1980s AAAS leaders agreed

Additionally, the survey of AAAS leaders gave the following related attitudes for rating:

• "Parapsychology threatens the established mechanistic world view of scientists" – 13% agreed.
• " Parapsychology conflicts with current physical or biological theories" – 36% agreed.

Is the present research direction appropriate?

This question concerned the manner of research, as exemplified in reports in the Journal of Parapsychology. About 32% in both studies of psychologists indicated full support for the direction of research.

Those who considered that the research was not conducted "in the proper direction" were as follows.

• 13% of the 1930s psychologists disapproved
• 18% of the 1950s psychologists disapproved
• 9% of the new 1950s psychologists disapproved

Another way of addressing this issue was given in the 1970s studies, asking if parapsychology was important and making some or only a little progress. 62% of the New Scientist readers agreed, and 57% of the college professors agreed. An option was also permitted to indicate that parapsychology was a pseudoscience: this was checked by 4% of the New Scientist readers, and 3% of the college professors.

This specific question was not addressed to the AAAS members, but similar measures were made of the following additudes.

• "Scientists feel that parapsychological research has not been conducted in a competent manner" – 68% agreed.
• "The complexity and elusiveness of psi makes it extremely difficult to research" – 62% agreed.

What is the source of academic opinion?

Several options were given to this question, somewhat differing over the studies, but most consistently asking is the respondents relied on journal reports. Personal experience was also queried in most studies as a discrete alternative. (Other options, in one or another study, were newspapers, books by J. B. Rhine, hearsay, and a priori belief.)

Journal reports

• 41% of the 1930s psychologists
• 35% of the 1950s psychologists
• 16% of the new 1950s psychologists
• 26% of the 1970s college professors
• 30% of the 1980s AAAS leaders

Personal experience

• 2% of the 1930s psychologists
• 8% of the 1950s psychologists
• 11% of the 1970s college professors
• 28% of the 1980s AAAS leaders

In the New Scientist study, of those 25% who considered ESP to be fully established, 40% indicated their view was based on reading scientific literature; most cited personal experience.

The researchers reporting these results have generally noted, in discussion, that the findings are surprisingly consistent over the decades, research methods, and populations sampled; although psychologists and AAAS representatives tend to indicate less positive attitude; the elite scientists of the AAAS were particularly prone to basing attitide on the (lack of) personal experience of ESP; more contemporary scientists are less familiar with the scientific literature of parapsychology than were psychologists in the 1930s; and academics in the humanities are generally most positive in their attitude to the phenomena. In both the college professor and AAAS leader studies, no significant relationship was observed between age or sex and the measured attitudes.