888 Poker have investigated whether people of Britain believe they’re lucky, as well as uncovering which old-fashioned superstitions people still follow
‘Find a penny, pick it up’ the most common UK lucky ritual
46% of Brits wish for good health while 42% want more money
Millions of Brits refuse to walk under ladders, avoid crossing the pathway of a black cat, and are terrified of breaking a mirror, according to new stats.
Research from 888 Poker has found that almost three quarters (74%) of the British population describe themselves as ‘superstitious’, while less than half (44%) consider themselves ‘lucky’.
“Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck.” This old-school poem just so happens to be the most common superstition amongst British culture, as 39% of Brits still consider finding a penny and picking it up to be good luck.
Other fallacies of good luck that Brits admitted to following include owning a lucky item of clothing (9%), throwing a penny into a wishing well (18%), and the faithful beginner’s luck (23%).
On the other hand, not all superstitions provide us with gleaming luck, as one in three (33%) Brits believe that walking under a ladder poses the greatest risk of bad luck, even more so than breaking a mirror (24%) or black cats crossing over your path (15%).
LIST OF TOP 5 SUPERSTITIONS IN THE UK
- Find a penny, pick it up (39%)
- Avoid walking under ladders (33%)
- Breaking a mirror (24%)
- Beginners luck (23%)
- Knock on wood (22%)
In terms of age, 16-24 year old’s (79%) were most likely to confess to being superstitious. Although, when bad luck is considered, the older generation are certainly more cautious as 40% of people aged 65+ consider walking under a ladder to be serious bad luck, while only 23% of 16-25 year old’s agree.
There appears to be an even split between both genders when considering they’re luckiness, albeit women are way more likely to not tell their birthday wishes (14% v 5%) in case they don’t come true.
Additionally, the North-South divide concept also appears to be relevant in terms of how superstitious people are. Only 36% of people from Northern England consider themselves lucky, whilst 57% of their Southern counterparts believe they’re blessed with luck. More than half of locals from Leeds (53%) and Sheffield (61%) don’t consider themselves lucky, whilst 59% of Londoners believe they’re blessed with beginner’s luck.
When it comes to wishes, whether birthday related or from flipping a penny into a well, good health (46%), more money (42%) and a new job (18%) top the list.
