Witchcraft, or the concept that people can use supernatural abilities to cause harm, it is a belief that varies greatly between nations according to a survey released by the Pew Research Center in Washington.

According to the study, only 9% of Swedes believe in witchcraft, while over 90% of Tunisians believe that some people have evil powers.

The belief in witchcraft may be as old as humanity itself.

Brief witchcraft status through a survey

The oldest rock art in England, for example, may consist of engraved “witch marks” to ward off evil spirits, while the oldest written example of God’s name in Hebrew is found on a 3,200-year-old “cursed tablet” , intended to bewitch someone who has broken a vow.

The idea that humans can cast curses is present in most major world religions.such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

In the new study, the researchers used a large dataset collected in six waves between 2008 and 2017 by the Pew Research Center.

In total, 140,000 people from 95 countries and five continents were applied a series of questions related to your belief in magic, such as: “Do you believe in the evil eye or that certain people can cast curses or spells that make bad things happen to someone?”

Based on the Pew sample, researchers have estimated that at least one billion people worldwide believe in witchcraft.

Women, urban residents, and the very young were more likely to believe in these supernatural powers. However, having more education, more financial security, and living in a smaller house tended to go hand-in-hand with a lower belief in witchcraft.

However, these beliefs have been found in people across the educational and socioeconomic spectrum.

For example, people with “very good” financial standing were only 6-7% less likely to believe in witchcraft. compared to people with “very poor” economic conditions, according to the study, published Nov. 23 in the journal PLOS One.

And, of course, those who were religious tended to be more likely to believe that some humans possessed magical powers.

Witchcraft: A Rising Trend

“In general, religious and witchcraft beliefs, both of which focus on the key role of supernatural powers in life, go hand in hand.”wrote the researchers in the study.

People in countries with weak institutions, low levels of social trust, a greater emphasis on conformity, and a greater bias towards “in-group” people they were also more likely to believe in witchcraft, the researchers concluded.