A paranormal-sounding phenomenon is scarily common in British Columbia, where a new survey found more than half of residents have been "ghosted" by someone in their lives.
Research Co. released findings Tuesday from a national survey it conducted online last month, which shows 55 per cent of Canadians have experienced “ghosting”—a trend in which a person abruptly ends communication with someone without explanation.
That number is marginally higher in B.C., according to the poll, with 58 per cent of people there reporting they’ve been ghosted at some point.
The survey included questions about being ghosted by a friend, romantic interest, relative and people involved in hiring or work-related processes.
Friends appear to be the most common ghosts—27 per cent of British Columbians say they abruptly stopped hearing from one. Another 21 per cent have been ghosted by a person they dated, while a relative has been involved in 18 per cent of ghosting cases in B.C.
Besides a provincial breakdown, the survey also looked at how different genders, generations and voters experienced the phenomenon.
Researchers found a significant generation gap when it comes to ghosting.
About four-in-five Canadians aged 18 to 34 say they’ve gone through the situation at some point.
While a majority of that demographic—61 per cent—believes ghosting is sometimes appropriate, 56 per cent of Canadians aged 55 and older think the practice is never the right way to handle things.
In B.C., fewer than half of people—49 per cent—believe it’s appropriate to go silent on someone. In contrast, five per cent of British Columbians support ghosting in every situation.
People who identify as female are more commonly ghosted by friends or a person they went out with—25 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively.
Canadians who voted for the NDP in the 2021 federal election say they were ghosted more than their Liberal and Conservative counterparts.
Sixty-five percent of NDP voters have gone through the experience at some point—compared to 52 per cent of Conservatives and 49 per cent of Liberals.
Across the board, more than three-in-five Canadians say they’d prefer to be told what happened, rather than have communication cut off.
The online survey was conducted from July 20 to July 22 among 1,000 Canadian adults. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
With files from CTV News Vancouver