Spirit Research

Study links belief in magic with faith and trust in science.

Americans who believe in God and favor science and reason over religious authority were more likely to lean toward belief in magic, according to a study reported by Christian Today. The researchers compared their responses with those of people who believed in God but did not share that outlook.

The study drew on the 2025 Baylor Religion Survey, a nationally representative survey of 1,812 American adults conducted by Gallup in early 2025. The findings appeared in the journal Social Forces in July 2026, according to The Economic Times.

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The survey compared faith and rationalism#

The researchers examined secular rationalism, an outlook they measured through attitudes toward science, reason and religious authority. According to Christian Today, the questions asked if understanding the world depends solely on science and if reason, instead of religious teaching, should be the basis for morality.

The survey also asked about interpreting spiritual matters independently rather than relying on religious leaders, Christian Today reports. Researchers measured those attitudes against views on six supernatural phenomena, among them ghosts, curses and communication with the dead. Their inquiry also covered whether miracles still happen and whether God is their source.

Among respondents who believed in God and had the stronger rationalist outlook, about 40% leaned toward belief in magic, compared with 19% of believers who did not share that outlook, Christian Today reports. The comparison describes an association in the survey, rather than establishing that either outlook caused the other.

Religious ties remained part of the pattern#

A similar difference appeared among people who attended religious services. Christian Today reports that 28% of attendees with stronger secular rationalist beliefs leaned toward belief in magic, compared with 19% of those without the same outlook.

The researchers suggest that some people retain belief in God and ties to religious communities while rejecting the idea that churches or religious leaders should decide their views on supernatural phenomena, Christian Today reports. The Economic Times notes that the research cannot establish whether spirituality overall is increasing.

Separate polling has also measured belief in particular phenomena. A Gallup survey found that 39% of Americans believed in ghosts and 27% believed people could communicate with the dead, according to the Los Angeles Times. A 2026 YouGov poll found that 44% thought ghosts probably or definitely exist.

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