How Many Individuals Consider Witchcraft To Be Real?

A new global study involving over 140,000 people from 95 countries has found that belief in witchcraft is widespread worldwide, with over four in 10 people believing in it. The data comes from six survey waves conducted by the Pew Research Center (PRC) between 2008 and 2017. Witchcraft, which includes Wicca, paganism, folk magic, and other New Age traditions, is one of the fastest-growing spiritual paths in America. In 1990, Trinity College in Connecticut estimated that witchcraft beliefs exist around the world but vary substantially between countries and within world regions.

A 2005 poll of Canadians and people from the United Kingdom found that 13 percent believed in witches, while for Americans, that number was even higher at 21 percent. Most people do not believe in witchcraft, and it is estimated that there could be around 1.5 million witches in the U.S. However, not all witches consider themselves Wiccans.

The views of witchcraft in North America have evolved through an interlinking history of cultural beliefs and interactions. A 2022 study found that belief in witchcraft varied from 9 in some countries to 90 in others, and was linked to cultural and socioeconomic factors.

Wiccan and witchcraft are also appearing in pop culture, with teenage witches on TikTok and a Marvel comic superhero called Wiccan. In England, around 500 people are believed to have been executed for witchcraft. The history of witchcraft is complex, and many people do not actually ascribe to witchcraft as a spiritual practice but see witches historically being (potentially) dubiously.

How many people have died from witchcraft?

The Salem witchcraft crisis, originating from European religious upheaval, warfare, political tensions, and economic dislocation from 1400 to 1775, saw around 100, 000 people tried for witchcraft and 50, 000 executed. The belief was that witches posed a threat to Christian society by exploiting Satan’s power to spread sickness, misery, and death. English colonial settlers arrived in 1626 at Naumkeag, a Native American fishing site, to establish a Massachusetts Bay Colony outpost.

Most Puritans sought to “purify” the Church of England from Roman Catholic practices. Salem, covering 70 square miles, included Salem Village, now Danvers, and was named after Jerusalem, meaning “city of peace”.

Which cultures believed in witchcraft?

Witches are believed to use body parts, such as hair, nail clippings, clothing, or bodily waste, to work magic against their victims. This belief is prevalent in various cultures, including Europe, Africa, South Asia, Polynesia, Melanesia, and North America. Indigenous peoples in Africa and North America also believe that witches cause harm by introducing cursed magical objects into their victims’ bodies. In some cultures, witches are believed to use human body parts in magic, and they are often believed to murder children for this purpose.

Witches work in secret, sometimes alone or with other witches. They are believed to gather at night, when normal humans are inactive and vulnerable, and engage in cannibalism, incest, and open nudity. This type of magic is considered imitative and often involves murdering children due to postpartum psychosis.

When did people stop believing in witches?

Witch persecution in England reached its peak in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, but by the 18th century, witch trials and belief had significantly declined, particularly in elite circles. The traditional explanation for this shift is that the rise of rationality, scientific reasoning, and secular humanism was incompatible with “superstitious” witch belief. However, this explanation is flawed and contains several flawed assumptions. Firstly, enlightenment and post-enlightenment thinkers were more rational than previous periods.

Secondly, scientific discoveries led to disbelief in magic and witches. Thirdly, thinkers who sought to disprove witch existence used secular means. The author argues that elite English disbelief in witches was caused by a new mode of Anglican religious thought, which was engineered to promote a stable social order beneficial to elites.

What percent of the world believes in witchcraft?

The PRC surveys, similar to values surveys and regional “barometers”, are used in social sciences to measure culture and conduct comparative analyses at individual and country levels. However, the PRC surveys were more focused on religious beliefs and included questions that can be used to identify witchcraft believers. The survey included a question about the belief in the evil eye, which represents the fear of supernatural harm caused by envious glances.

This unique way of identifying witchcraft believers in the entire merged survey sample covered over 140, 000 individuals from 95 countries and territories in 5 continents. Over 40 of all survey respondents claimed to believe in witchcraft.

The country-level prevalence of witchcraft beliefs around the world covered almost the entire possible range, ranging from 9 in Sweden to 90 in Tunisia, with a mean of 43. Overall, a simple calculation based on adult population data yields close to a billion believers in just the 95 countries in the sample, most likely an undercount due to the sensitivity of the witchcraft question for at least some respondents.

However, the surveys did not include China and India, the world’s most populous nations, and generally provide poor coverage of East and Southeast Asia. These regional gaps in coverage also reflect the focus of the PRC surveys on countries with predominantly Christian and Muslim populations and the lack of representation of other religions. Despite these caveats, the new dataset makes it clear that witchcraft beliefs are a global contemporary phenomenon and that there is substantial variation in their prevalence both across and within world regions.

What percentage of people believe in magic?

A survey conducted in 2021 revealed that 21% of Americans believe in the efficacy of spells or witchcraft, with women being more likely to espouse this belief than men. This underscores the pervasive acceptance of these practices.

Is witchcraft the fastest growing religion?

Wicca, the fastest-growing religion, worships a God and a Goddess. Its adherents recognize Earth as an extension of the Goddess and strive for harmony with nature. It differs from Hinduism in its espousal of the doctrine of reincarnation.

What percent of the world is pagan?

It is estimated that between one and five percent of the population in Europe, Oceania, Africa, and the East identify as pagan.

How many people believe in Wicca?

Since its arrival in the US in the 1960s, Wicca has been growing rapidly, with an estimated 1. 5 million witches in the country. However, not all witches consider themselves Wiccans, with around 800, 000 Americans being Wiccans according to recent survey data. The religion is an independent practice, celebrating a Goddess alongside a God, and lacks a formal institutional structure like a church. Adherents refer to themselves as practitioners, not believers, and the increasing numbers in surveys and the growth of groups on TikTok suggest that Wicca is continuing to grow.

How many people practice witchcraft today?

Since the 1990s, the number of witches and Americans practicing Wicca religious rituals has significantly increased, with recent studies suggesting there may be at least 1. 5 million witches across the country. This increase is attributed to a rejection of mainstream Christianity among young Americans and a rise in occultism. With 1. 5 million potential practicing witches, witchcraft has more followers than the 1.

4 million mainline members of the Presbyterian church. Young adults are revitalizing witchcraft and pre-Christian traditions, with millennials seeking more spiritual freedom and interest in astrology and tarot card readings.

Were more than 200 people accused of practicing witchcraft?

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 involved over 200 accused individuals, with twenty executed, mostly by hanging, and one man pressed to death under heavy stones. This latter case represents the only instance of state-sanctioned execution of its kind.