Many Americans report interacting with dead relatives in dreams or other ways

Many Americans report that their relationships with loved ones continue past death in some way, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Around half of U.S. adults (53%) say they’ve ever been visited by a dead family member in a dream or some other form. And substantial shares say they’ve had interactions with dead relatives in the past 12 months:34% have “felt the presence” of a dead relative28% have told a dead relative about their life15% have had a dead family member communicate with themIn total, 44% of Americans report having at least one of these three experiences in the past year.Women are more likely than men to say they have had these kinds of interactions with dead family members. And people who are moderately religious are more likely than others – including those who are highly religious and those who are not religious – to have experienced these things.The survey was conducted March 27-April 2, 2023, among 5,079 adults on the Center’s American Trends Panel. It included Americans of all religious backgrounds, including Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. But there are not enough respondents from these smaller groups to report on their answers separately.