It Is About Believing: Superstition and Religiosity

Benno Torgler

CREMA Working Paper Series from Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA)

Abstract: This paper has a novel framework analysing what shapes superstition in a multivariate analysis. The results indicate that socio-demographic and socio-economic variables matter. The results also indicate that there is a certain concurrence between churches and superstitious beliefs. In most of the cases we observe a negative correlation between superstition and attendance of church and other religious activities. Closeness to the churches goes in line with lower superstition. On the other hand, a generally higher perceived religiosity increases superstition. Furthermore, there is the tendency that people without a religious denomination have the lowest belief in superstition. Finally, the results indicate that there is a strong variety in superstition among countries. Especially people from formerly Communist countries have a higher degree of superstition than others.

Keywords: Superstition; Religiosity; Culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-law
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cra:wpaper:2003-10

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