superstitions

• Sociologists Tony Silva and Ashley Woody published a study on March 10 that analyzes the results of the 2020–2021 Chapman University Survey of American Fears, a survey that asked 1,035 Americans about what they are most afraid of.
• Silva and Woody focused on data concerning supernatural and paranormal phenomena, writing, “This research examines how supernatural beliefs vary by race/ethnicity, gender, and education after adjustment for other demographic characteristics and religiosity.”
• The study revealed that when compared to other racial and ethnic groups, Asian Americans are more likely to fear zombies and ghosts.
• Silva and Woody believe that cultural traditions could explain the differences in supernatural or paranormal beliefs among those who participated in the survey.
• For members of the Asian American community, the sociologists explained that the idea of the dearly departed paying a visit to the living is “deeply embedded in some racial/ethnic cultural traditions such as Lunar New Year.”
• Among all the participants, Asian Americans also scored higher when it came to their beliefs in the Lost City of Atlantis and Bigfoot or Sasquatch.

A recent study that analyzes the fear of the supernatural among different communities has revealed that when compared to other racial and ethnic groups, Asian Americans are more likely to fear zombies and ghosts.

Sociologists Tony Silva and Ashley Woody published their Socius paper titled “Supernatural Sociology: Americans’ Beliefs by Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Education” on March 10. In their study, Silva and Woody analyzed the 2020–2021 Chapman University Survey of American Fears, which asked 1,035 Americans about their fears, including “corrupt government officials, “murder hornets,” “a devastating earthquake” and “corporate tracking of personal data,” among others. Silva and Woody focused on data concerning supernatural and paranormal phenomena.