Yes, Virginia, a whopping eight million Canadians believe in Santa Claus -- and that figure doesn't include children.



According to a national survey that asked adult men and women if they put faith in the Fat Man, nearly one-third of Canucks "personally believe in Santa."



Middle-age Canadians were more likely to profess their allegiance to Old Saint Nick (37 per cent) than those older or younger than themselves (32 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively).



The Ipsos Reid survey, commissioned by CanWest News Service and Global National, polled 1,000 Canadians to shed light on the ways in which grown-ups view Santa.



Carl Anderson, often called the world's foremost Santa expert, says the man in red is divisive for the same reason all robust cultural symbols can inspire opposing reactions.



"Santa resonates at a far deeper level than most people realize," says Anderson, a University of Texas psychologist. "That's why there's always a great uproar when, every year, somebody takes it upon themselves to let children know he's not real."



"It's part of what the whole Santa practice represents, which is, in a nutshell, hope," he says.