60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll
Superstitions
December 3-7, 2014

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?
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.
Very
Somewhat
Not too
Not at all

Total
4%
20
22
54
How Superstitious Are You?
18-34 35-44 45-54
5%
5%
5%
28
18
14
25
20
21
42
57
60
55-64
2%
18
22
27
65+
1%
13
16
69
Who 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”?
Total
18-34 35-44 45-54
Albert Einstein
30%
39%
33%
25%
Mother Teresa
14
14
15
9
Pope John Paul II
13
15
9
12
Nick the Greek
12
7
8
27
The Cincinnati Kid
7
7
6
5
Don’t know (vol.)
24
18
29
22
55-64
26%
17
15
16
7
20
65+
20%
14
15
10
6
34

Which 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?
Total
Reps Dems Inds
Theory of Evolution
46%
64%
35%
45%
Theory of Creationism
45
28
60
44
There 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.
Theory of Evolution
Theory of Creationism

Which Theory of Life is the LEAST Logical?
Total
Protestants
Catholics
46%
60%
42%
45
30
47
Other/No religion
32%
64
Many 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.
Just like any other row
Always be an exit row
There shouldn’t be a “Row 13”
“Row 13” on an Airplane Should be…
Total
Superstitious
45%
27%
18
15
37
49
Not Superstitious
51%
19
20

Do 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.
Say “God bless you”
Knock on wood
Make a birthday wish
Cross your fingers

Total
Yes
85%
60%
56%
43%
No
15
40
44
56
Do You Ever…?
Superstitious
Yes
No
87%
13
83%
17
73%
27
67%
33
Not Superstitious
Yes
No
85%
15
53%
47
51%
49
36%
64
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?
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.
A clumsy accident
A bad omen
Knocking Over the Salt Shaker at Dinner is…
Total
Superstitious
Not Superstitious
92%
80%
95%
7
19
4

Which 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.
Wile E. Coyote
Captain of the Titanic
Bill Buckner of the Red Sox
Romeo and Juliet

Total
43%
34
9
9
Who Was the Unluckiest?
18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
45%
36%
53%
47%
34%
28
33
25
38
46
8
18
13
9
5
17
6
4
3
7
Which 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.
A horoscope
A dream dictionary
A fortune cookie
A psychic reading
None of them (vol.)
Which Predicts the Future the Best?
Total
Superstitious
22%
31%
18
21
12
11
11
22
34
13
Not Superstitious
20%
17
13
8
41

When 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%).
A miracle
A coincidence
Good luck
Karma

When Something Hoped For Happens, It’s…
Total
Religious
Not religious
26%
32%
8%
26
24
32
23
22
26
21
18
31
Which 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.
Gamblers
Grandmothers
Athletes
Fisherman
Which Group is the Most Superstitious?
Total
Superstitious
Not Superstitious
43%
37%
45%
22
33
19
21
19
22
10
9
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 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?
Total
Men
Women
Witches in the Middle Ages
48%
45%
51%
The Ancient Egyptians
18
19
17
Fishermen in Ireland
12
13
12
Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo
11
14
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 Questions
Superstition
December 3-7, 2014
VF-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?
Very superstitious
Somewhat superstitious
Not too superstitious
Not at all superstitious
Don’t know/No answer
********** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **********
Total
18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
%
%
%
%
%
%
4
5
5
5
2
1
20
28
18
14
18
13
22
25
20
21
22
16
54
42
57
60
57
69
1
1
-1
1
*
VF-01. Who do you think said "God doesn't play dice with the universe"?
Nick the Greek
Albert Einstein
The Cincinnati Kid
Mother Teresa
Pope John Paul II
Don’t know/No answer
12
30
7
14
13
24
7
39
7
14
15
18
8
33
6
15
9
29
27
25
5
9
12
22
16
26
7
17
15
20
10
20
6
14
15
34
VF-02. Which of the following theories about the origin of human life on Earth is the LEAST logical?
The theory of evolution
The theory of creationism
Don’t know/No answer
Total
%
46
45
9
Reps
%
64
28
8
Dems
%
35
60
5
Inds
%
45
44
12
VF-03. Many airplanes do not have a row 13. Which comes closer to your view?
Total
%
There should be a row 13 just like any row
45
There should be a row 13 and it should always be an exit row 18
It’s better not to have a row 13
27
Don’t know/No answer
10
Superstitious
%
27
15
49
9
Not Superstitious
%
51
19
20
10
60
40
*
83
17
--
53
47
--
56
44
--
73
27
--
51
49
--
VF-04. Do you ever (INSERT ITEM)?
a.
b.
Knock on wood
Yes
No
Don’t know/No answer
Make a birthday wish
Yes
No
Don’t know/No answer
VF-04. Do you ever (INSERT ITEM)?
************ TOTAL RESPONDENTS ************
Total
Superstitious
Not Superstitious
%
%
%
c.
d.
Cross your fingers
Yes
No
Don’t know/No answer
Say “God bless you”
Yes
No
Don’t know/No answer
43
56
*
67
33
--
36
64
--
85
15
*
87
13
--
85
15
--
VF-05. Which one of the following people would you say was the unluckiest?
The captain of the Titanic
Bill Buckner of the Red Sox
Wiley E. Coyote of the Roadrunner cartoon
Romeo and Juliet
Don’t know/No answer
Total
%
34
9
43
9
5
18-34
%
28
8
45
17
2
35-44
%
33
18
36
6
7
45-54
%
25
13
53
4
6
55-64
%
38
9
47
3
4
65+
%
46
5
34
7
9
VF-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?
Bad omen
Clumsy accident
Don’t know/No answer
Total
%
7
92
1
Superstitious
%
19
80
1
Not Superstitious
%
4
95
1
VF-07. Which one of the following do you believe offers the most believable guidance or predictions about the future?
A horoscope
A fortune cookie
A psychic reading
A dream dictionary
None of them (vol.)
Don’t know/No answer
22
12
11
18
34
2
31
11
22
21
13
2
20
13
8
17
41
2
VF-08. When something you’ve been hoping for finally happens unexpectedly, do you mostly chalk it up to…?
Good luck
A miracle
A coincidence
Karma
Don’t know/No answer
Total
23
26
26
21
5
Religious
22
32
24
18
5
Not Religous
26
8
32
31
3
8
VF-09. Which group of people do you feel are the most superstitious?
************ TOTAL RESPONDENTS ************
Total
Superstitious
Not Superstitious
%
%
%
22
33
19
21
19
22
43
37
45
10
9
10
4
2
4
Grandmothers
Athletes
Gamblers
Fishermen
Don’t know/No answer
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 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.
Ancient Egyptians
Fishermen in Ireland
Old single women thought to be witches
Aa cat that spooked Napoleon’s horse
Don’t know/No answer
Total respondents:
Total
%
18
12
48
11
10
Men
%
19
13
45
14
9
Women
%
17
12
51
9
12
1,016
9