Article Title

Some Class Perspectives on Magical Belief

Authors

Patricia Hartman

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1969

Keywords

Magic; Superstition; Social classes

Abstract

A field survey was conducted in Cambridge, Minnesota, to study variation in Magical belief with respect to class differences, as measured by education. Groups of fifteen female noncollege graduates and 15 graduates, and fifteen male non-college graduates and 15 male graduates, constituted the survey groups. They were examined with self-administered questionnaires constructed for the survey and shown to be reliable and valid in pre-tests.

Survey findings indicate there is no significant difference in degree of magical belief as measured in this questionnaire with regard lo class differences (education). Notable was the observation that college graduate males disagreed in significant percentage with a statement that everything has a natural cause, while non-college graduate males agreed with the same item. Also significant is the finding that 32 percent of the respondents indicated they believe in magic.

First Page

38

Last Page

40

Recommended Citation

Hartman, P. (1969). Some Class Perspectives on Magical Belief. Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science, Vol. 36 No.1, 38-40.
Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/jmas/vol36/iss1/12

Primo Type

Article