AMERICAN SUPERSTITIONS

Every culture has superstitions¹. Some people believe them more than others. Our modern technological society puts a high value on rationality, but superstitions can still hold a powerful influence. Most people seem to outgrow them. But how many people continue to believe (or at least act like they believe) superstitions as adults? 

A survey² conducted³ for the journal American Demographics by the research firm Market Facts found some surprising results. In the survey, people were asked how superstitious they were. Ten common superstitions were listed. Five of them related to good luck and five to bad luck. Respondents⁴ were then asked to check the ones they believed and how strongly. Of the superstitions in the list, good-luck superstitions were more widely held. The top good-luck superstitions that most people believed "very much" were picking four-leaf clovers⁵ (seventy-nine percent), knocking on wood (seventy- two percent), picking up pennies (seventy percent), and crossing fingers for luck (fifty-nine percent). Of the bad-luck superstitions, the most common belief was that breaking a mirror brought bad luck (eighty-two percent). Other bad-luck superstitions listed in the survey included seeing black cats, walking under ladders, a groom⁶ seeing the bride before the wedding, and doing anything on Friday the 13th.

Even though most Americans consider superstitions nothing more than ridiculous myths, forty-four percent of the people surveyed still admitted they were superstitious. There were other seemingly contradictory results. Among the fifty-six percent who did not describe themselves as superstitious, belief in "optimistic" superstition was still fairly common. For example, twelve percent of those who said they were not really superstitious confessed⁷ to knocking on wood for good luck. And nine percent confessed they would pick up a penny on the street for good luck. Likewise, nine percent of "non-believers" also said they would pick a four-leaf clover for luck if they found one. And some still believed in kissing under the mistletoe⁸ for luck.

Of the forty-four percent of Americans who admit their superstitious beliefs, sixty-five percent said they were "only a little" superstitious. Twenty-eight percent were "somewhat" superstitious, and eight percent were "very" superstitious. Among this last group of believers, some interesting differences appeared when the men and women were considered separately. In the survey, women comprised⁹ sixty percent of the entire superstitious group, seeming to indicate¹⁰ that women tend to be more superstitious than men. However, more than half (sixty-four percent) of the "very" superstitious believers were male.

Additionally, there were significant differences in age between the believers and the non-believers. In the survey, more young people admitted their superstitious nature than older people. For people between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, sixty-four percent claimed to be at least a little superstitious. But for seniors sixty-five and older, only thirty percent admitted to believing in any superstitions.

It might be expected that people with more education would be less superstitious, but results from the survey indicated almost equal numbers of believers among those with and without college degrees. Of those survey respondents whose education stopped at high school, forty-two percent reported being at least a little superstitious. For those with a college education, forty-seven percent claimed the same minimal level of belief.

These results may seem puzzling, but perhaps they are to be expected. Whether they are true believers or not, most people would say there's no harm in doing something like knocking on wood or crossing one's fingers to increase the chances of a positive outcome. After all, who couldn't use a little extra luck?

• likewise
• puzzling
• rationality
• myth
• contradictory
• ridiculous

Scared of Friday the 13th

The year 2015 was a very bad one for people who believe that Friday the 13th is an especially unlucky day. In 2015, three months had a Friday that fell on the 13th of the month - February, March, and November. That is actually the most times that the 13th can possibly fall on a Friday.

The belief that Friday and the number thirteen are both unlucky possibly goes back to the time of Jesus's death. At the Last Supper, Jesus gathered his twelve followers for a special meal, but including himself, there were a total of thirteen people at the table. One of those followers later betrayed Jesus and turned him over to be killed-on a Friday. Today, superstitions about the number thirteen continue to worry people. As a result, most American skyscrapers do not have a 13th floor, and many airplanes lack a 13th row. When the number is combined with unlucky Friday, some people get doubly nervous.

When asked, only thirteen percent of Americans admit they believe that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day, but the percentage is much higher among young people. About thirty percent of Americans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four say they generally try to be a little more careful on a Friday falling on the 13th. In Britain, a quarter of survey respondents said they make changes to their normal routine on that day. One in ten said they avoid travel, and one in twenty refuse to leave their homes!