A national ongoing study on teenagers and their religious practices found that Mormon youths are least likely to believe in psychics and fortune tellers, while Catholic or nonreligious teens are most willing to believe in them.
According to the National Study on Youth and Religion, Catholic and nonreligious teens also show higher rates of belief in astrology and communication with the dead than do other religious denominations.
The data were culled from a survey of 3,000 Americans between ages 13 and 17, and is part of a four-year research project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, based at the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science.
The report was based on the following questions from a NSYR telephone survey: “Do you believe in astrology, that stars and planets affect people’s fates, definitely, maybe, or not at all,” “Do you believe in the possibility of communicating with the dead directly or through séances, definitely, maybe, or not at all,” and “Do you believe in the power of psychics and fortunetellers, definitely, maybe, or not at all?”
Overall few teens, regardless of religious background, said they “definitely” believe in the paranormal. Only 9 percent reported that they definitely believe in astrology or communicating with the dead, while 6 percent believed in fortune-tellers. However, 31 percent said astrology was possible, while 30 percent said communication with the dead might be possible. Youths were more skeptical about soothsayers, with only 21 percent of survey respondents believed in fortune-tellers.
“Most American teens are at least somewhat skeptical of paranormal beliefs; very few of them say they definitely believe in these phenomena,” said Dr. Phil Schwadel, a postdoctoral researcher with the NSYR. “Despite their skepticism, however, many of them are open to the possibility of paranormal phenomena.”
However, when teens’ beliefs are compared based on their churchgoing habits, those who regularly attend religious services are less likely to believe in the paranormal.
“For instance, 44 percent of teens who never attend religious services say they maybe or definitely believe in communicating with the dead, compared to 23 percent of teens who attend more than once a week,” NYSR reported. “Likewise, 49 percent of teens who never attend religious services report maybe or definitely believing in astrology, while 35 percent of teens who attend weekly and 22 percent of teens who attend more than once a week say the same.”
Across religions and Christian denominations, only 12 percent of Mormon youths said they definitely or might believe in psychics and fortune-tellers, least among all groups measured. At the other extreme, 38 percent of nonreligious teens responded similarly. Among Christianity-based religions, 32 percent of Catholic teen-agers said they may or definitely believe in fortune-tellers and psychics; 26 percent of mainline Protestant youths responded similarly, while 21 percent each of conservative Protestant and black Protestant youths believed in seers.
Fortune-telling, divination, and sorcery are found throughout the Bible, but are condemned practices.
Twenty-eight percent of Jewish teens and 33 percent of teens in other religions reported that they at least might believe in psychics and fortune-tellers.
Paul Chesser is associate editor of Carolina Journal. Contact him at [email protected].