{"id":224688,"date":"2025-05-06T15:50:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T19:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=224688"},"modified":"2025-08-14T09:26:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T13:26:02","slug":"spells-curses-and-ways-to-see-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/05\/06\/spells-curses-and-ways-to-see-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"3. Spells, curses and ways to see the future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many adults around the world believe that spells, curses or other magic can influence people\u2019s lives. Survey respondents in sub-Saharan African countries and in Colombia are especially likely to hold this belief: Seven-in-ten or more adults in those places express belief in spells. But fewer than half of adults surveyed in Europe, North America, East Asia and Australia hold this view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, when it comes to trying to see the future \u2013 like consulting a fortune teller or horoscope \u2013 fewer than a quarter of adults in nearly all 35 countries surveyed say they engage in these practices. South Africa (47%) and India (45%) have the highest shares of adults who say they consult a fortune teller or horoscope to see the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The survey also finds that:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Christians are much more likely than religiously unaffiliated adults to believe that spells and curses can affect people\u2019s lives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many Hindus, especially in India and Sri Lanka, consult fortune tellers or horoscopes to see the future.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In many countries, those who pray daily are more likely than others to believe in spells and curses. By contrast, adults who pray at least daily are not particularly different from other adults when it comes to trying to see the future.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Women are more likely than men to believe in the power of spells and to use a fortune teller or horoscope to see the future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-callout has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2130f694 wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jump to more on:<\/strong> <a href=\"#belief-in-spells-curses-or-other-magic\">Beliefs in spells, curses and magic<\/a> | <a href=\"#consulting-a-fortune-teller-or-horoscope-to-see-the-future\">Consulting fortune tellers and horoscopes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;belief-in-spells-curses-or-other-magic&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"belief-in-spells-curses-or-other-magic\">Belief in spells, curses or other magic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=225595\"><img data-dominant-color=\"cddee6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #cddee6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-01.png?resize=480,1274 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-01.png?resize=620,1646 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"823\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-01.png?w=386\" alt=\"Bar chart showing most Ghanaian adults believe spells or curses can influence people\u2019s lives\" class=\"wp-image-225595 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across 35 countries surveyed, the share of adults who believe that spells, curses or other magic can influence people\u2019s lives varies widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This belief is broadly held in all four African countries surveyed, by seven-in-ten or more adults in each place. Of all the countries surveyed, Ghana (87%) has the largest share of adults who believe in the power of spells or curses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than half of all adults in the Latin American countries included in the survey also express this belief \u2013 ranging from 72% in Colombia to 56% in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Substantial shares of adults in South and Southeast Asia also say spells, curses or other magic can influence people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, in North America, Australia, East Asia and most of Europe, one-third or fewer of adults hold this view. In the United States, 30% believe spells, curses or other magic can influence people\u2019s lives. In Sweden and Japan, about one-fifth do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"views-by-religion\">Views by religion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=225596\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f7f5f5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f7f5f5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-02.png?resize=480,944 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-02.png?resize=782,1538 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-02.png?resize=840,1652 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"826\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-02.png?w=521\" alt=\"Chart showing that globally, many Christians believe in power of magic\" class=\"wp-image-225596 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Christians generally are more likely than religiously unaffiliated adults to say they believe that spells, curses or other magic can influence people\u2019s lives. In Singapore, for instance, 50% of Christians hold this belief, compared with 36% of unaffiliated adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Half or more of Hindus surveyed in Bangladesh (58%), Sri Lanka (58%) and India (51%) believe spells or curses can influence people\u2019s lives.<br><br>Within religions, there are some geographic variations on this question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, Israeli Jews are almost twice as likely as Jewish Americans to believe that spells, curses or other magic can influence people\u2019s lives (29% vs. 15%). Among Buddhists, those living in South and Southeast Asia are more likely than those living in East Asia to express this belief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"views-by-rate-of-prayer\">Views by rate of prayer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Respondents who pray daily are more likely than those who pray less often to say they believe in spells, curses or other magic influencing people\u2019s lives. This is particularly true in Europe. For instance, in Germany, 49% of adults who pray at least daily believe that spells, curses or other magic can influence people\u2019s lives, while 24% of adults who pray less often take the same view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Ghana, however, the opposite is true: Adults who pray daily are slightly <em>less<\/em> likely than others to hold this belief (85% vs. 93%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=225597\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2f2f0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f2f0;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-03.png?resize=480,718 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-03.png?resize=782,1169 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-03.png?resize=840,1256 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"628\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-03.png?w=685\" alt=\"Chart showing that in many countries, adults who pray daily are more likely to believe in the influence of spells\" class=\"wp-image-225597 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;consulting-a-fortune-teller-or-horoscope-to-see-the-future&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"consulting-a-fortune-teller-or-horoscope-to-see-the-future\">Consulting a fortune teller or horoscope to see the future<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In most countries surveyed, fewer than a quarter of adults say they consult a fortune teller, horoscope or other way to see the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Europe, this ranges from 17% of Hungarians to just 4% of Greeks. In the Americas, it ranges from 16% in Peru to 9% in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">India and South Africa stand out from the other countries surveyed, with 47% of South Africans and 45% of Indians saying they use such methods to try to see the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=225598\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dee8ed\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dee8ed;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-04.png?resize=480,1262 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-04.png?resize=620,1630 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"815\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-04.png?w=389\" alt=\"Bar chart showing consulting a fortune teller or horoscope is not very common around the world\" class=\"wp-image-225598 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"views-by-religion-0\">Views by religion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hindus are among the most likely to consult a fortune teller or horoscope to see the future, including half or more in India and Sri Lanka (51% and 56%, respectively). In Bangladesh, 36% of Hindus also engage in these practices \u2013 far more than the share of Bangladeshi Muslims who do so (9%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While around a third of Buddhists in Singapore, South Korea and Thailand use fortune tellers or horoscopes to see the future, just 16% of Buddhists in Sri Lanka and Japan do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In general, similar shares of Christians and the religiously unaffiliated in each country use fortune tellers or other ways to see the future. For instance, 10% of both Christians and unaffiliated adults in Australia say they engage in these practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=225599\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f6f5f5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f6f5f5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-05.png?resize=480,947 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-05.png?resize=782,1544 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-05.png?resize=840,1658 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"829\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-05.png?w=519\" alt=\"Chart showing half or more Hindus in India and Sri Lanka consult a fortune teller or horoscope to see the future\" class=\"wp-image-225599 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"views-by-gender\">Views by gender<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In most countries surveyed \u2013 including nearly every European country \u2013 women are more likely than men to use a fortune teller, horoscope or other way to see the future. For instance, in Poland, 16% of women do this, while just 2% of men say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=225600\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f3f2f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f3f2f1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-06.png?resize=480,858 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-06.png?resize=782,1398 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-06.png?resize=840,1502 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"751\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_03-06.png?w=573\" alt=\"Chart showing that in many European countries, women are more likely than men to consult a fortune teller or horoscope\" class=\"wp-image-225600 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in Japan, 25% of women use methods to see the future, compared with 13% of men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the pattern is reversed in Colombia: Men are slightly more likely than women to consult fortune tellers and horoscopes to see their futures (14% vs. 8%).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many around the globe think spells or curses can affect people\u2019s lives. Far fewer say they consult fortune tellers or horoscopes to see the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":675,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_api_pending":"","apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_hidden":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[161,372,169,412,195],"tags":[],"bylines":[866,832,550,701,589],"collection":[],"datasets":[2610,2445,2774,2789],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[507,516,504,498,514,497,513,509,510,505,512,511,515],"research-teams":[525,517],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-224688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beliefs-practices","category-death-dying","category-non-religion-secularism","category-pew-templeton-global-religious-futures-project","category-religiously-unaffiliated","bylines-jonathan-evans","bylines-kelsey-jo-starr","bylines-kirsten-lesage","bylines-manolo-corichi","bylines-william-miner","datasets-2023-24-religious-landscape-study-rls-dataset","datasets-american-trends-panel-wave-132","datasets-american-trends-panel-wave-143","datasets-spring-2024-survey-data","formats-report","regions-countries-asia-pacific","regions-countries-europe-russia","regions-countries-germany","regions-countries-india","regions-countries-international","regions-countries-israel","regions-countries-latin-america","regions-countries-mexico","regions-countries-middle-east-north-africa","regions-countries-multiple-regions-worldwide","regions-countries-north-america","regions-countries-sub-saharan-africa","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-global","research-teams-religion"],"label":false,"post_parent":224541,"word_count":911,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/05\/06\/spells-curses-and-ways-to-see-the-future\/","art_direction":{"A2":{"id":231032,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_featured.jpg","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PR_2025.05.06_spirituality-around-the-world_featured.jpg?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"caption":"(Handini 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