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60 Minutes/Vanity Fair PollSuperstitionsDecember 3-7, 2014Some people are superstitious and try to behave in such a way as to avoid bad luck or 'jinxing' themselves and others are not. How superstitious would you say you are?Younger Americans are the most superstitious.Most Americans are not a very superstitious lot, or at least they don’t think they are. Just 4% of Americans describe themselves as very superstitious, and only another 20% say they are somewhat superstitious. 22% say they are not too superstitious, while most – 54% - say they are not superstitious at all.Younger Americans are more superstitious than older Americans, however. Nearly a third (31%) of Americans between 18 and 34 say they are either very or somewhat superstitious. In contrast, just 14% of Americans 65 and older say they are at least somewhat superstitious.How Superstitious Are You?Total18-3435-4445-5455-6465+Very 4% 5% 5% 5% 2% 1%Somewhat202818141813Not too222520212216Not at all544257602769Who do you think said "God doesn't play dice with the universe"?Younger Americans are more likely than older Americans to recognize one of Einstein’s famous quotes.In his refutation of quantum physics, Albert Einstein famously said “God doesn’t play dice with the universe” – or perhaps not so famously. Just 30% of Americans can correctly attribute this quote to Einstein. 14% attribute it to Mother Teresa, while 13% give it to Pope John Paul II, ahead of professional gambler Nick “the Greek” Dandolos (12%) and the fictional gambler in the self-titled film “The Cincinnati Kid” (7%). 24% volunteer that they don’t know who said “God doesn’t play dice with the universe”.Younger Americans are more likely to recognize this quote than older Americans. 39% of Americans under 35 correctly identify this quote as Einstein’s – this is true of just one in five Americans 65 and older.Who Said “God doesn’t play dice with the universe”?Total18-3435-4445-5455-6465+Albert Einstein30%39%33%25%26%20%Mother Teresa141415 91714Pope John Paul II1315 9121515Nick the Greek12 7 8271610The Cincinnati Kid 7 7 6 5 7 6Don’t know (vol.)241829222034Which of the following theories about the origin of human life on Earth is the LEAST logical?Evolution or Creationism? Republicans and Democrats split on which is less logical.Americans are divided as to which theory of the origin of human life they find the least logical. 46% of Americans say the theory of evolution makes the least logical sense, virtually tied with the 45% of Americans who say it’s creationism that is the least logical. Americans divide along political lines, with most Republicans (64%) seeing evolution as the least logical, and most Democrats (60%) saying it’s creationism. Independents are divided.Which Theory of Life is the LEAST Logical?TotalRepsDemsInds Theory of Evolution46%64%35%45%Theory of Creationism45286044There are differences by religious belief as well. Overall, most Christians (54%) think evolution makes the least logical sense, but while 60% of Protestants think this, Catholics are divided. 64% of Americans with other religious beliefs or no religious beliefs think the theory of creationism is the least logical.Which Theory of Life is the LEAST Logical?TotalProtestantsCatholicsOther/No religion Theory of Evolution46%60%42%32%Theory of Creationism45304764Many airplanes do not have a row 13. Which comes closer to your view? 1. There should be a row 13 just like any row, 2. There should be a row 13 and it should always be an exit row. Or 3. It’s better not to have a row 13.Most say there should be a “Row 13” on airplanes.Many airlines don’t have a row 13, but there are plenty of Americans who wouldn’t mind it if they did. 45% of Americans think that airlines should have a row 13 just like any other row, while another 18% think that a row 13 is okay on as long as it is the exit row. 37% agree with the practice of just omitting row 13 altogether. Americans who say they are either very or somewhat superstitious are more wary of row 13 – 49% say there shouldn’t be one. On the other hand, just one in five Americans who are either not very or not at all superstitious think row 13 should be skipped.“Row 13” on an Airplane Should be…TotalSuperstitiousNot SuperstitiousJust like any other row45%27%51%Always be an exit row181519There shouldn’t be a “Row 13”374920Do you ever ….Knock on wood? Make a birthday wish? Cross your fingers? Say “God bless you”?Even those who aren’t superstitious do superstitious things.Whether they are superstitious or not, many Americans engage in activities that some might consider superstitious. More than eight in 10 Americans – superstitious and non-superstitious alike – say “God bless you”, a practice that came into vogue in the Middle Ages to help ward off the plague. 60% of Americans knock on wood –a practice often used to avoid “tempting fate” - including 53% of those who say they are not superstitious. 56% of Americans (and 51% of those who are not superstitious) make birthday wishes. One the other hand, less than half of Americans - 43% - say they cross their fingers, a gesture often used for either good luck or to excuse a lie. While 67% of superstitious Americans cross their fingers, just 36% of Americans who are not superstitious do the same.Do You Ever…?TotalSuperstitiousNot SuperstitiousYesNoYesNoYesNoSay “God bless you”85%1587%1385%15Knock on wood60%4083%1753%47Make a birthday wish56%4473%2751%49Cross your fingers43%5667%3336%64When someone knocks over a salt shaker at dinner, do you think of it as a bad omen, or do you think of it as a clumsy accident?Even superstitious people don’t worry about spilled salt.But one thing not even most superstitious people do is worry about spilled salt, at least not at the dinner table. Although viewing spilled salt as a bad omen supposedly goes back to ancient times, 92% now view knocking the salt shaker over at dinner as a clumsy accident rather than a bad omen. Superstitious Americans are a little more likely to view knocking over the salt shaker as a bad omen, but even among this group, four in five view it as a clumsy accident.Knocking Over the Salt Shaker at Dinner is…TotalSuperstitiousNot Superstitious A clumsy accident 92%80%95%A bad omen 719 4Which one of the following people would you say was the unluckiest?Wile E. Coyote was unluckier than the Captain of the Titanic.Who could be unluckier than the man who piloted an “unsinkable” ship into an iceberg on its maiden voyage? Apparently it’s Wile E. Coyote –animation director Chuck Jones’s luckless creation whose repeated efforts to catch the road runner always backfired in a series of cartoons originating in the late 1940s. 43% of Americans pick the Coyote as the unluckiest from a list of four, ahead of the 34% of Americans who pick the Captain of the Titanic. Just 9% pick former Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner – whose fielding error in the 1986 World Series would leave the Red Sox waiting another nineteen years to break the Curse of the Bambino. Another 9% pick Shakespeare’s hopelessly star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet.The Coyote is the top choice of Americans under 65 – particularly those between 45 and 54 – while the Captain of the Titanic is deemed the unluckiest by older Americans.Who Was the Unluckiest?Total18-3435-4445-5455-6465+Wile E. Coyote43%45%36%53%47%34%Captain of the Titanic342833253846Bill Buckner of the Red Sox 9 81813 9 5Romeo and Juliet 917 6 4 3 7Which one of the following do you believe offers the most believable guidance or predictions about the future?If you want to predict the future, don’t go to a professional.What offers the most believable guidance or predictions about the future? The top choice from a list of four is your horoscope - picked by 22% of Americans – ahead of a dream dictionary, picked by 18% of Americans, and fortune cookies – picked by just 12%. Although they offer personalized “professional” service, just 11% of Americans think a psychic reading predicts the future the best. One in three Americans, however, volunteer that none of these believably predict the future.Which Predicts the Future the Best?TotalSuperstitiousNot SuperstitiousA horoscope22%31%20%A dream dictionary182117A fortune cookie121113A psychic reading1122 8None of them (vol.)341341When something you’ve been hoping for finally happens unexpectedly, do you mostly chalk it up to…?Religious Americans more likely to see good fortune as a miracle, non-religious Americans see it as a coincidence or Karma.Is the unexpected arrival of good fortune a miracle, a coincidence, good luck, or Karma? Americans are divided between a miracle (26%) and a coincidence (26%), and they differ by how religious they are. One in three religious Americans would characterize this phenomenon as a miracle, while just 24% would call it a coincidence. Those who are not religious, however, are divided between thinking of it as a coincidence (32%) or Karma (31%).When Something Hoped For Happens, It’s…TotalReligiousNot religiousA miracle26%32% 8%A coincidence262432Good luck232226Karma211831Which group of people do you feel are the most superstitious?Gamblers are more superstitious than Grandmothers.Americans think gamblers are the most superstitious type of person, at least in comparison to grandmothers, athletes, and fishermen. 43% pick gamblers first, while grandmothers (22%) inch out athletes (21%) for second place. Americans who are superstitious themselves also pick gamblers as their top choice, though a third pick grandmothers. Just 10% of Americans overall pick fishermen as the most superstitious group.Which Group is the Most Superstitious?TotalSuperstitiousNot SuperstitiousGamblers43%37%45%Grandmothers223319Athletes211922Fisherman 10 910Which of these is believed to be the origin of the superstition that black cats are bad luck? 1. It was the only color cat that Ancient Egyptians didn't praise, 2. Fishermen in Ireland believed you wouldn't catch a single fish if a black cat crossed their path on their way to their boat, 3. In the Middle Ages, old single women with black cats were thought to be witches, 4. Napoleon blamed his loss at Waterloo on a cat that spooked his horse.Americans tie the bad luck of black cats to witches.Where does the tradition of black cats bringing bad luck come from? If you picked their association with witches, you’re in agreement with nearly half of Americans. 48% say they think it comes from the medieval belief that old single women with black cats were witches, by far the top choice. Just 18% of Americans think it was the only color of cat that the cat-crazy ancient Egyptians didn’t praise, and just 12% tie the tradition to fishermen in Ireland believing that cats cursed their catch if they crossed their path on the way to the boats. Another 11% think it might have something to do with a cat spooking Napoleon’s horse at the battle of Waterloo.Where Did the Belief that Black Cats Are Bad Luck Come From?TotalMenWomenWitches in the Middle Ages48%45%51%The Ancient Egyptians181917Fishermen in Ireland121312Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo1114 9____________________________________________________________________________This poll was conducted by telephone from December 3-7, 2014 among 1,016 adults nationwide. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Media, PA. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus 3 percentage points. The error for other subgroups may be higher. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Poll.60 Minutes/Vanity Fair QuestionsSuperstitionDecember 3-7, 2014VF-11. Some people are superstitious and try to behave in such a way as to avoid bad luck or 'jinxing' themselves and others are not. How superstitious would you say you are? ********** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **********Total18-3435-4445-5455-6465+ % % % % % %Very superstitious 4 5 5 5 2 1Somewhat superstitious202818141813Not too superstitious222520212216Not at all superstitious544257605769Don’t know/No answer 1 1-- 1 1 *VF-01. Who do you think said "God doesn't play dice with the universe"?Nick the Greek12 7 8271610Albert Einstein303933252620The Cincinnati Kid 7 7 6 5 7 6 Mother Teresa141415 91714Pope John Paul II1315 9121515Don’t know/No answer241829222034VF-02. Which of the following theories about the origin of human life on Earth is the LEAST logical?TotalRepsDemsInds % % % %The theory of evolution46643545The theory of creationism45286044Don’t know/No answer 9 8 512VF-03. Many airplanes do not have a row 13. Which comes closer to your view?TotalSuperstitiousNot Superstitious % % %There should be a row 13 just like any row452751There should be a row 13 and it should always be an exit row181519It’s better not to have a row 13274920Don’t know/No answer10 910VF-04. Do you ever (INSERT ITEM)?a.Knock on woodYes608353No401747Don’t know/No answer *----b.Make a birthday wishYes567351No442749Don’t know/No answer------VF-04. Do you ever (INSERT ITEM)? ************ TOTAL RESPONDENTS ************TotalSuperstitiousNot Superstitious % % %c.Cross your fingersYes436736No563364Don’t know/No answer *----d.Say “God bless you”Yes858785No151315Don’t know/No answer *----VF-05. Which one of the following people would you say was the unluckiest?Total18-3435-4445-5455-6465+ % % % % % %The captain of the Titanic342833253846Bill Buckner of the Red Sox 9 81813 9 5Wiley E. Coyote of the Roadrunner cartoon434536534734Romeo and Juliet 917 6 4 3 7Don’t know/No answer 5 2 7 6 4 9VF-06. When someone knocks over a salt shaker at dinner, do you think of it as a bad omen, or do you think of it as a clumsy accident?TotalSuperstitiousNot Superstitious % % %Bad omen 719 4Clumsy accident928095Don’t know/No answer 1 1 1VF-07. Which one of the following do you believe offers the most believable guidance or predictions about the future?A horoscope223120A fortune cookie121113A psychic reading1122 8A dream dictionary182117None of them (vol.)341341Don’t know/No answer 2 2 2VF-08. When something you’ve been hoping for finally happens unexpectedly, do you mostly chalk it up to…?TotalReligiousNot ReligousGood luck232226A miracle2632 8A coincidence262432Karma211831Don’t know/No answer 5 5 3VF-09. Which group of people do you feel are the most superstitious?************ TOTAL RESPONDENTS ************TotalSuperstitiousNot Superstitious % % %Grandmothers223319Athletes211922Gamblers433745Fishermen10 910Don’t know/No answer 4 2 4 VF-10. Which of these is believed to be the origin of the superstition that black cats are bad luck? 1. It was the only color cat that Ancient Egyptians didn't praise, 2. Fishermen in Ireland believed you wouldn't catch a single fish if a black cat crossed their path ontheir way to their boat, 3. In the Middle Ages, old single women with black cats were thought to be witches, 4. Napoleon blamed his loss at Waterloo on a cat that spooked his horse.TotalMenWomen % % %Ancient Egyptians181917Fishermen in Ireland 121312Old single women thought to be witches484551Aa cat that spooked Napoleon’s horse1114 9Don’t know/No answer10 912Total respondents:1,016 ................
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