Belief in Witchcraft Still Widespread

Author: PLOS
Published: 25 Nov 2022 - Updated: 4 Jul 2023
Publication Details: Peer-Reviewed, Observational Study

Contents: Synopsis - Definition - Introduction - Main - Related Publications

Synopsis: Witchcraft beliefs are still widespread worldwide, with prevalence related to cultural, institutional, psychological, and socioeconomic characteristics.

Numerous prior studies worldwide have documented people's beliefs in witchcraft - the idea that certain individuals have supernatural abilities to inflict harm.

Topic Definition: Witchcraft

Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. Contemporary cultures that believe in magic and the supernatural often believe in witchcraft. Anthropologists have applied the term "witchcraft" to similar beliefs and occult practices described by many non-European cultures. Cultures that have adopted the English language will often call these practices "witchcraft" as well. Modern witch-hunting is still found in parts of Africa and Asia.

Introduction

Witchcraft beliefs around the world: An exploratory analysis

A newly compiled dataset quantitatively captures witchcraft beliefs in countries worldwide, enabling investigation of key factors associated with such beliefs. Boris Gershman of American University in Washington, D.C., presented these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on November 23, 2022.

Main Content

Numerous prior studies worldwide have documented people's beliefs in witchcraft - the idea that certain individuals have supernatural abilities to inflict harm. Understanding people's witchcraft beliefs can be important for policymaking and community engagement efforts. However, global-scale statistical analyses of witchcraft beliefs have been lacking due to a lack of data.

Gershman compiled a new dataset that captures such beliefs among more than 140,000 people from 95 countries and territories to deepen understanding of witchcraft beliefs. The data come from face-to-face and telephone surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center and professional survey organizations between 2008 and 2017, which included questions about religious beliefs and belief in witchcraft.

According to the dataset, over 40 percent of survey participants said they believe that "certain people can cast curses or spells that cause bad things to happen to someone." Witchcraft beliefs appear to exist worldwide but vary substantially between countries and within world regions. For instance, 9 percent of participants in Sweden reported belief in witchcraft, compared to 90 percent in Tunisia.

Gershman then investigated various individual-level factors associated with witchcraft beliefs using this dataset. This analysis suggests that, while beliefs cut across socio-demographic groups, people with higher levels of education and economic security are less likely to believe in witchcraft.

Gershman also combined this dataset with other country-level data, finding that witchcraft beliefs differ between countries according to various cultural, institutional, psychological, and socioeconomic factors. For instance, witchcraft beliefs are linked to weak institutions, low levels of social trust, and low innovation, as well as conformist culture and higher levels of in-group bias-the tendency for people to favor others who are similar to them"

These findings and future research using the new dataset could be applied to help optimize policies and development projects by accounting for local witchcraft beliefs.

The authors add:

"The study documents that witchcraft beliefs are still widespread around the world. Moreover, their prevalence is systematically related to several cultural, institutional, psychological, and socioeconomic characteristics."

Related Information

• The Delusional World of Man Made Deities
• Attacks Against Persons with Albinism - Who are the Masterminds?
• Witch Hunts in India Still Kill Women Today

Attribution/Source(s): This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by PLOS and published on 25 Nov 2022, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.