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American Superstitions 1
Every culture has superstitions1.
Some people believe them more than
others. Our modern technological society
puts a high value on rationality, but
5 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) Even some ?쐕n-superstitious??Americans
superstitions as adults? think four-leaf clovers are lucky.
10 A survey2 conducted3 for the journal American Demographics
by the research firm Market Facts found some surprising results. In the
Q survey, people were asked how superstitious they were. Also, ten common
Underline five actions that superstitions were listed. Five related to good luck and five to bad luck.
are considered unlucky.
Respondents4 were then asked to check the ones they believed, and how
15 strongly. Of the superstitions in the list, good-luck superstitions were more
widely held. The top good-luck superstitions that most people followed ?쐖ery
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,
20 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
25 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 ?쐎ptimistic??superstition was still fairly common. For
example, twelve percent of those who said they were not really superstitious
30 confessed7 to knocking on wood for good luck. And nine percent confessed
1 superstition n. a belief based on faith in magic or luck
2 survey n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or questions in order to gather information; a poll
3 conduct v. to plan and do
4 respondent n. a person who gives a response, especially as part of a survey
5 clover n. a small plant that usually has three leaves on each stem
6 groom n. a man who is about to be married or who has just married
7 confess v. to admit
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