Features

Four in ten Brits are so superstitious they still avoid cracks in the pavement and dodge ladders, a recent study commission by lovetheraces.com found.

Researchers have found more than 14 million adults regularly carry out everyday tasks they believe will bring them luck - or ward off bad luck.

A third of wary adults said putting up an umbrella in the house will give them bad luck and one in six will steer clear of crossing someone on the stairs.

Four out of ten regularly touch wood and 43 per cent of us would never walk under a ladder.

One in three admitted always making a wish when blowing out birthday candles and a quarter wouldn’t put new shoes on a table.

It also emerged one in five always throw salt over their left shoulder or lob money into a wishing well for good fortune.

The poll of 3,000 people was carried out by www.lovetheraces.com

Robin Mounsey, editor of lovetheraces.com, said: "Most people have some superstitious tendencies to some degree.

"Crossing fingers and making a wish when blowing out candles seem like every day habits now rather than superstitions, but avoiding black cats and magpies seem quite old fashioned now.

"Aside from the well-known superstitions listed in this study many people, especially regular race goers, have some very unique lucky rituals, like always betting on a horse whose name begins with a certain letter or only betting on a jockeys who star sign is Libra for example.

"Tom, one of our Voices of the Races, will only bet on a horse who has just been to the loo, and if he gets a winning bet will only ever use the same bookmaker. This was rather amusing at Doncaster when he spent half of the day running round trying to find his lucky roaming tote lady!

"Racegoers are a particularly superstitious bunch who tend to carry good luck charms, queue at particular Tote windows or back horses or jockeys with certain names, numbers or colours.

"But surprisingly, Friday the 13th seems to be no barrier to having a flutter. In fact, betting turnover tends to be higher on these days.''

The study found 31 per cent regularly cross their fingers while 47 per cent expect to receive seven years of bad luck if they break a mirror.

Interestingly, six in ten people polled said they knew these superstitions were unlikely to come to anything, but did them anyway 'just in case'.

But it emerged superstition isn't limited to just everyday life.

One in six polled said they rely on lucky rituals when betting on a horse, with one in twenty having bagged more than £1,000 after backing a winner.

A quarter will watch from a lucky chair, three in ten will only bet on a certain race and 28 per cent will choose a name of a horse which is funny.

The top ten superstitions were:

1. Won’t walk under a ladder
2. Salute a lone magpie
3. Throw spilt salt over your left shoulder
4. Put money in a purse or wallet
5. Don’t step on cracks in the pavement
6. Avoid crossing people on the stairs
7. Won’t put an umbrella up in the house
8. Won’t walk across three drains
9. Won’t put shoes on the table
10. Say ‘pinch punch first day of the month’ on the first day of the month

add comment