Apologies in advance for getting that Stevie Wonder song stuck in your head, but a recent survey found that Americans as surprisingly superstitious. We say surprisingly only because we all tend to brag about being so truth-based and yet still admit to behaving in ways that are based on either fear or some sort of magical thinking.
Also, Stevie Wonder warned us quite clearly:
When you believe in things
That you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain’t the way
Anyway, the survey asked 1,000 Americans about 30 different superstitions and their overall belief that the world could even work in a way that superstitions made sense.
They found that, on average, more people believe in good luck superstitions than those that bring bad luck (so, apparently, we’re optimistic about our magical beliefs).
The superstitions Americans are most likely to believe in are:
– Making a wish while blowing out birthday candles (28%)
– Seeing a shooting star (28%)
– Saying bless you when someone sneezes (27%)
When it comes to bad luck superstitions specifically, the most common are:
– Walking under a ladder (21%)
– Broken mirrors (21%)
– The number 666 (21%)
Also interesting is that 12% of Americans always or frequently carry a lucky charm, while19% say they do occasionally. Still, the majority (65%) don’t bother.
It’s also important to note that while a minority believe in superstitions, there’s a large chunk of the population that’s just unsure and were unwilling to say they didn’t believe in these superstitions!
If you want to learn more about the methodology of the poll, click here.
Source: “Which superstitions are Americans most likely to believe?” — YouGov