Viewers Feel Paranormal Reality Shows Inaccurately Portray Real Paranormal Investigations

November 03, 2023 1:00 AM ‐ Paranormal • Television

This article is more than one year old.

Ghostly Television
Photo: © Isi Parente
It may come as no surprise to some, but the majority of television viewers watching ghost hunting shows feel that they inaccurately portray the real world of paranormal investigation.

In fact, only 5% of those that responded to a survey we recently published said that they felt that paranormal reality TV shows accurately portray paranormal investigations. Of the more than 1,000 responses, 60% said that paranormal shows 'somewhat' represent the realities of ghost hunting, while 35% said they weren't realistic at all.

Viewers mostly watch paranormal reality shows in the hopes that they'll see proof of the paranormal, this according to 45% of survey responses. Meanwhile, 26% tune in to find out more about haunted locations, and 15% are drawn to the show by the hosts and investigators themselves.

As for why the majority of viewers feel that paranormal shows fail to accurately depict investigations, an overwhelming 64% said they were frustrated by 'over dramatisation' in these sorts of shows, while a third of respondents blamed 'inauthentic investigators' for the lack of realism.

The survey also revealed how viewers think these sorts of shows can improve, with 40% saying they'd like to see investigators take a more scientific approach. 27% said that more historical background on the locations would improve these shows, while 32% said they'd like to see the cast of paranormal reality shows debunk more of the alleged activity they capture.

You can see the full results of our survey below, which was conducted in September 2023 attracting 1,047 individual respondents.

Paranormal Television Survey Results In Full

What attracts you most to a paranormal TV show?

 

  • Investigators 15%

  • Locations 26%

  • Evidence presented 45%

  • Storyline 5%

  • None of these 9%

Do you believe that paranormal reality TV shows accurately portray paranormal investigations?

 

  • Yes, completely 5%

  • Somewhat 60%

  • No, not at all 35%

Where do you typically find the most credible paranormal shows?

 

  • Traditional Television 18%

  • Streaming Services (e.g., Netflix, Amazon Prime) 20%

  • YouTube Channels 33%

  • Dedicated Paranormal Streaming Service 11%

  • Other 18%

What frustrates you the most when watching these shows?

 

  • Over-dramatisation 64%

  • Lack of evidence 11%

  • Repetitive locations 1%

  • Inauthentic investigators 18%

  • Poor production quality 3%

  • Nothing 4%

Do you think some shows exaggerate or fabricate evidence?

 

  • Yes, often 59%

  • Occasionally 39%

  • No, never 2%

What would you like to see more of in these shows?

 

  • Scientific approach 40%

  • Historical background 27%

  • Debunking 32%

Do you prefer shows that lean more toward the skeptical or the believing side?

 

  • Skeptical 14%

  • Believing 12%

  • Balanced 74%

How do you feel about the number of episodes or shows focused on demons?

 

  • Too many, it's overdone 73%

  • Just the right amount 19%

  • Not enough 7%

Would you like to see more local folklore and legends integrated into episodes?

 

  • Yes 69%

  • No 6%

  • Indifferent 25%

To what extent does the use of ghost hunting technology affect the credibility of the show?

 

  • Significantly adds to credibility 27%

  • Somewhat adds to credibility 34%

  • No impact on credibility 19%

  • Somewhat detracts from credibility 11%

  • Significantly detracts from credibility 9%

How do you feel the inclusion of a psychic medium affects the credibility of a paranormal reality TV show?

 

  • Significantly adds to credibility 18%

  • Somewhat adds to credibility 24%

  • No impact on credibility 24%

  • Somewhat detracts from credibility 19%

  • Significantly detracts from credibility 15%

How do you feel the inclusion of a demonologist affects the credibility of a paranormal reality TV show?

 

  • Significantly adds to credibility 11%

  • Somewhat adds to credibility 13%

  • No impact on credibility 23%

  • Somewhat detracts from credibility 24%

  • Significantly detracts from credibility 30%

Our paranormal television survey is still open and accepting responses. We may follow up this article if there are significant changes to the results in the future. This might naturally occur if the survey reaches a wider and more varied set of respondents.

You can help out by having your say here and sharing the survey with your friends and family, even if they're not actively interested in the paranormal, we'd love to hear about their thoughts and experiences.
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