Witchcraft beliefs around the world: An exploratory analysis.
This paper presents a new global dataset on contemporary witchcraft beliefs and investigates their correlates. Witchcraft beliefs cut across socio-demographic groups but are less widespread among the more educated and economically secure. Country-level variation in the prevalence of witchcraft belie...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276872 |
| _version_ | 1797978079204737024 |
|---|---|
| author | Boris Gershman |
| author_facet | Boris Gershman |
| author_sort | Boris Gershman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper presents a new global dataset on contemporary witchcraft beliefs and investigates their correlates. Witchcraft beliefs cut across socio-demographic groups but are less widespread among the more educated and economically secure. Country-level variation in the prevalence of witchcraft beliefs is systematically linked to a number of cultural, institutional, psychological, and socioeconomic characteristics. Consistent with their hypothesized function of maintaining order and cohesion in the absence of effective governance mechanisms, witchcraft beliefs are more widespread in countries with weak institutions and correlate positively with conformist culture and in-group bias. Among the documented potential costs of witchcraft beliefs are disrupted social relations, high levels of anxiety, pessimistic worldview, lack of entrepreneurial culture and innovative activity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:17:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-69f5db8d6efb4914989bd6a45cf613f9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:17:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-69f5db8d6efb4914989bd6a45cf613f92022-12-24T05:33:07ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-011711e027687210.1371/journal.pone.0276872Witchcraft beliefs around the world: An exploratory analysis.Boris GershmanThis paper presents a new global dataset on contemporary witchcraft beliefs and investigates their correlates. Witchcraft beliefs cut across socio-demographic groups but are less widespread among the more educated and economically secure. Country-level variation in the prevalence of witchcraft beliefs is systematically linked to a number of cultural, institutional, psychological, and socioeconomic characteristics. Consistent with their hypothesized function of maintaining order and cohesion in the absence of effective governance mechanisms, witchcraft beliefs are more widespread in countries with weak institutions and correlate positively with conformist culture and in-group bias. Among the documented potential costs of witchcraft beliefs are disrupted social relations, high levels of anxiety, pessimistic worldview, lack of entrepreneurial culture and innovative activity.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276872 |
| spellingShingle | Boris Gershman Witchcraft beliefs around the world: An exploratory analysis. PLoS ONE |
| title | Witchcraft beliefs around the world: An exploratory analysis. |
| title_full | Witchcraft beliefs around the world: An exploratory analysis. |
| title_fullStr | Witchcraft beliefs around the world: An exploratory analysis. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Witchcraft beliefs around the world: An exploratory analysis. |
| title_short | Witchcraft beliefs around the world: An exploratory analysis. |
| title_sort | witchcraft beliefs around the world an exploratory analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276872 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT borisgershman witchcraftbeliefsaroundtheworldanexploratoryanalysis |