A superstition is defined as a “belief that is not based on reason or scientific thinking and that explains the causes for events in ways that are connected to magic”.
In the spirit of Halloween, we’re unraveling the spooky (and not-so-spooky) superstitious beliefs of 18-75-year-old Americans, by asking two questions:
- To what extent do you believe in superstitions?
- Which of the given superstitions do you believe in/practice?
Find out how age affects superstitious beliefs, and which superstition proves most popular by taking a look at our five top takeaways below!
- Overall, we learned that 52% of Americans asked, believe in superstitions, in comparison to just 22% who do not.
- Belief in superstitions decreases with age, with 63% of 18-24-year-olds believing in superstitions, followed by 62% of 25-39-year-olds, 50% of 40-54-year-olds, and finally 34% of 55-75-year-olds.
- “Somewhat believe” was the most popular opinion by 18-54 year-olds, while the most popular opinion of 55-75 year-olds had been “neither believe or disbelieve” at 34%.
- With over half of Americans selecting “Picking up a penny for good luck”, this resulted in the most popular superstition believed overall, particularly amongst ages 25+. In comparison, the most popular superstition amongst 18-24-year olds was believing that the “four-leaf clover is a symbol of good luck” with 60%.
- Superstitions surrounding good luck proves to be most popular amongst all age groups, with the least popular superstitions based on symbols of bad luck.
What, if any superstitions do you believe in? Let us know in the comments below!
