For a significant number of respondents, those returning memories were not pleasant.
Among people who said they had recovered a forgotten childhood memory, 41% reported that at least one involved a traumatic experience. Across the entire population, that amounts to about 15% of Americans saying they have recalled a traumatic childhood memory at some point in their lives.
The survey also found notable differences between men and women.
Although both groups were equally likely to report remembering previously forgotten events, women were considerably more likely to say those recovered memories involved trauma. Overall, 19% of women reported recalling a traumatic childhood memory, compared with 11% of men.
The findings also explored beliefs about memories that may still remain hidden.
Among all respondents, 38% believed it was at least somewhat likely they had repressed traumatic memories from early childhood. Women were more likely than men to think this was possible, and younger adults expressed this belief more often than older Americans.
Why Family Stories Can Shape What We Think We Remember
Memory is deeply personal, but it is also surprisingly social.
Many of the stories people believe they remember from childhood may have been reinforced over the years by conversations around the dinner table, old photographs, or home videos. The 2022 YouGov survey found that 68% of Americans said their parents or other family members often or sometimes reminisced about events from their early childhood. Only one in four said those conversations rarely or never happened.
