Responses from over 140,000 people in 95 countries and territories were compiled into one massive dataset, allowing the study authors to paint a broad picture of the state of witchcraft beliefs across the world. Overall, 43 percent of participants agreed with the statement that “certain people can cast curses or spells that cause bad things to happen to someone. A simple calculation based on the adult population data yields close to a billion believers in just the 95 countries in the sample, most certainly an undercount due to the sensitivity of the witchcraft question for at least some respondents,” write the researchers. However, they go on to explain that while some countries are a hotbed of witchcraft beliefs, others are home to a more rational population… (READ MORE)

Category: Featured Articles