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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsPeople do report believing in creatures such as Bigfoot, mermaids, the Yeti and the Loch Ness Monster. But the evidence for belief is not evidence that these beings exist: surveys measure what respondents say, while folklore and museum sources document cultural traditions. The fifteen examples below combine those two kinds of evidence and are not a ranking of the most-believed creatures.
Which mythical creatures do people actually believe in?
The clearest modern figures come from two U.S. surveys that asked about six named beings. Four were measured in 2021 on a scale of belief; two different items were asked in 2022 using the wording “may currently exist.” Because the questions differ, the results should not be combined into one ranking.
| Being | Survey result | What the figure measures |
|---|---|---|
| Bigfoot or Sasquatch | 46% in the 2021 U.S. survey | Combined “strongly believed” and “believed” responses to “Bigfoot is a real creature.” |
| Mermaids | 33% in the 2021 U.S. survey | Combined “strongly believed” and “believed” responses to “Mermaids are real.” |
| The Yeti | 41% in the 2021 U.S. survey | Combined “strongly believed” and “believed” responses to the statement that the Yeti, also known as the abominable snowman, is real. |
| The Loch Ness Monster | 41% in the 2021 U.S. survey | Combined “strongly believed” and “believed” responses to “The Loch Ness Monster is a real creature.” |
| Mothman | 13% in the 2022 U.S. survey | Respondents said the Mothman creature “may currently exist.” This is a differently worded measure, not directly comparable with the 2021 belief scale. |
| Megalodon | 45% in the 2022 U.S. survey | Respondents said megalodon “may currently exist.” Megalodon is an extinct prehistoric shark, not a mythical being in the same sense as a spirit or dragon. |
The 2021 figures come from a Qualtrics-panel survey of 1,032 U.S. respondents fielded August 23–September 2, 2021, with population quotas for gender, age, race, education, income and region. The 2022 results come from a separate Qualtrics-panel survey of 1,020 U.S. respondents fielded December 8–18, 2022. These are self-reported beliefs from their respective samples and question wording, not findings that verify the creatures’ existence. See the International Journal of Communication study and its 2021 survey results and 2022 survey results.
What do the surveys say about ghosts?
In 2025, the National Folklore Survey for England reported that just over one in three people in England believe in ghosts or spirits of deceased people. This is a broad category, not a poll about a particular named creature. IPSOS UK carried out the survey, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and led by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Hertfordshire and Chapman University. The university announcement of the first results describes the project and its scope.
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Fifteen creatures and beings with documented belief or traditions
Only the six named beings above have direct survey figures in the evidence cited here. The rest of this list are included because museum and catalog sources document them as subjects of cultural traditions—not because a poll establishes how many people believe in each one. These categories also differ: some are supposed undiscovered animals, some are supernatural beings, and some belong primarily to mythic narratives.
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Bigfoot or Sasquatch
A purported large, humanlike wild creature associated especially with North American reports. The 2021 U.S. survey found 46% combined “strongly believed” and “believed” responses to the statement that Bigfoot is real.
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Mermaids
Humanlike beings associated with the sea appear in many traditions. The 2021 U.S. survey found 33% combined “strongly believed” and “believed” responses to “Mermaids are real.” That result is a report of belief, not evidence of an aquatic species.
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The Yeti
Also called the abominable snowman, the Yeti is a reported wild being associated with Himalayan traditions. In the 2021 U.S. survey, 41% chose one of the two belief categories for the statement that the Yeti is real.
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The Loch Ness Monster
“Nessie” is the name given to a creature said to inhabit Scotland’s Loch Ness. The 2021 U.S. survey found 41% combined “strongly believed” and “believed” responses to the claim that it is a real creature.
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Mothman
Mothman is a reported winged creature associated with American folklore. In a separate 2022 U.S. survey, 13% said the creature may currently exist. That wording and response measure differ from the 2021 belief scale.
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Megalodon
Megalodon was a real prehistoric shark, but it is classified as extinct. The 2022 U.S. survey asked whether it may currently exist, and 45% said yes. This belief item is not equivalent to evidence that the extinct animal survives today.
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Ghosts and spirits of the dead
Belief in the spirits of deceased people is documented in the 2025 England survey, which found just over one in three people believed in ghosts or spirits. This describes a broad supernatural category rather than one standard creature with a single shared form.
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Fairies
Fairies appear in folklore as supernatural beings, with forms and roles that vary across stories and cultures. The Smithsonian catalog record for Gary R. Varner’s Creatures in the Mist includes fairies among the traditions it discusses; it does not provide a modern belief-prevalence estimate.
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Little people
Traditions of small humanlike or spirit beings occur in folklore around the world. The Smithsonian catalog lists little people among the subjects of Varner’s book, a record of cultural tradition rather than a survey of contemporary belief.
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Giants
Giant beings appear in myth and folklore, often as extraordinary people or supernatural figures. The Smithsonian catalog’s listing of Creatures in the Mist includes giants; it does not establish how many people believe giants exist today.
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Forest folk
Stories of beings inhabiting forests form part of wider folklore about the natural world. Forest folk are among the traditions documented in the Smithsonian catalog record for Varner’s book, not a separately measured modern belief claim.
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Wild men
Accounts of wild men—humanlike figures living beyond ordinary society—appear in folklore and creature traditions. The Smithsonian catalog lists them as a subject of Varner’s Creatures in the Mist; no comparable survey figure is established here.
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Werewolves
Werewolves, people said to transform into wolves or wolf-like beings, belong to supernatural folklore. The Smithsonian catalog record for Varner’s book includes werewolves among the traditions covered, but does not measure present-day belief in them.
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Dragons
Dragons feature in mythic traditions in many forms. The American Museum of Natural History educator guide treats dragons as a mythic-creature subject. That documents their cultural significance, not a current estimate of how many people believe dragons are real.
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Unicorns
Unicorns are legendary horned beings with a place in myth and popular culture. The American Museum of Natural History educator guide includes unicorns alongside other mythic-creature subjects; it does not report a belief percentage.
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For the broader cultural examples, see the Smithsonian catalog record for Creatures in the Mist and the American Museum of Natural History’s educator guide to mythic creatures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is the difference between a cryptid and a mythical creature?
A cryptid is generally a creature whose existence is claimed but not recognized by mainstream zoology, often described as an undiscovered animal. Bigfoot, the Yeti and the Loch Ness Monster are commonly discussed in that frame. “Mythical creature” is broader: it can refer to beings in traditional stories, including dragons and unicorns, whether or not anyone treats them as literal animals. Ghosts and spirits are supernatural beings, not zoological species. These labels describe different kinds of claims, not different levels of proof.
Why do people believe in these beings?
Belief is not confined to one kind of person, and the available evidence does not support a single explanation for it. A 2022 analysis of the Chapman University Survey of American Fears found that supernatural beliefs vary across demographic and social axes, including gender, race and ethnicity, and education. The finding cautions against treating believers as a uniform group or assigning one cause to belief. It also helps explain why cultural context matters: people encounter these beings through local traditions, family stories, media and spiritual worldviews.
Pew Research Center’s 2025 survey of more than 50,000 people across 35 countries found widespread belief in spirits residing in animals and parts of nature. Those questions concern spiritual worldviews, however, and do not demonstrate belief in named mythological creatures. The distinction between belief in spirits generally and belief in a specific being is important when comparing survey results. See the Pew Research Center report on spirits in animals and nature and the 2022 analysis of supernatural beliefs in the Chapman University Survey of American Fears.
What the evidence can—and cannot—tell us
Surveys establish that respondents reported particular beliefs at a particular time, in a particular population, in response to particular questions. They do not establish biological existence. Folklore and museum sources show that stories and traditions endure, but they do not tell us what percentage of people today believe each being is real. The available evidence therefore supports a careful selection of fifteen notable examples, not a global prevalence ranking.
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