Superstition, religiosity, & locus of control : the beliefs of Maltese University students

Abstract

This study concerns the relationship between Superstition, Religion and Locus of control and any influence that gender, subject category and age have on these relationships. The study used a quantitative design and employed online questionnaires as a data collection tool. The questionnaire included a Superstitious Beliefs scale and a corresponding Superstitious Behavior scale, designed for the purpose this study, as well as two standardized scales: the Short Post Critical Belief Scale and Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. After collecting the data, the Superstition scales were analyzed through Principal Component Analyses to create subscales. The data was then analyzed through analyses of Variance and Pearson product-moment correlations. The results show: differences in Superstition between gender, with females being more superstitious; a negative relationship between age and some superstition categories in females; Theology had lower superstitious scores when compared to Humanities and Sciences, even after removing the effects of gender distribution; a moderate correlation between superstition and External Locus of Control; and a negative relationship between accepting religion beliefs and superstitions among females.