Most Americans Believe in Angels

Compared with the devil, angels carry more credence in America. Angels even get more credence than, well, hell. More than astrology, reincarnation, and the belief that physical things can have spiritual energies. In fact, about 7 in 10 US adults say they believe in angels, according to a new poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The standout stats:

• American's belief in angels (69%) is about on par with belief in heaven (69%) and the power of prayer (72%), but bested by belief in God or a higher power (79%).
• Fewer US adults believe in hell (58%), the devil or Satan (56%), astrology (34%), reincarnation (34%), and that physical things can have spiritual energies, such as plants, rivers, or crystals (42%).
• Karma falls in the middle, with 63% of adults saying they believe in it.
• At the very top, at 83%, is the number of adults who believe some things can't be explained by science.
• The large number of US adults who say they believe in angels includes 84% of those with a religious affiliation—94% of evangelical Protestants, 81% of mainline Protestants, and 82% of Catholics—and 33% of those without one.
• And of those angel-believing religiously unaffiliated, that includes 2% of atheists, 25% of agnostics, and 50% of those identified as "nothing in particular."

(More angels stories.)