A new study has revealed just how many people believe in "cryptids" such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster - and it is much more than you would expect.
The study, titled Cryptid Communication: Media Messages and Public Beliefs about Cryptozoology, has been published in the International Journal of Communication.
The researchers from the University of Delaware looked into whether exposure to different forms of media impacted people's beliefs in mythical beasts including Bigfoot, Nessie, the Yeti and mermaids. They asked people (a sample reflective of the US population) whether they strongly believed, believed, disbelieved or strongly disbelieved if each was "real".
Bigfoot was the one people believed in the most, with 12% saying they strongly believed and 34% believed - 46% in total.
Both the Loch Ness Monster and the Yeti had 44% in total. For Nessie it was 10% strongly believed and 31% believed. The Yeti had 12% and 29%.
Perhaps predictably, mermaids had the least amount of believers. Although 11% were found to strongly believe, just 22% believed - 33% in total.
And a good number of those people have had personal experiences with cryptids like Bigfoot, myself included. "Belief" has nothing to do with actually experiencing something.
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