Three-Quarters of Romanians Believe Luck Plays Key Role in Life

  Romanians believe in luck or destiny to an overwhelming extent. 75.3% of Romanians believe that luck is important in life, and 41.6% say that they have had an incident in which a superstition came true, according to the “Romania between Magic and Esotericism” Barometer, conducted by INSCOP Research and presented on Monday at the Media Room of the Romanian Peasant Museum.   According to the survey, 21.4% of respondents believe that luck is very important in life, while 3.3% did not answer. 17.6% of participants consider themselves definitely superstitious, 12.1% say rather yes, 20.5% rather no, and 46.5% definitely not superstitious. Non-responses account for 3.3%. On the other hand, 41.6% of those surveyed say they have experienced an event in life where a superstition came true, while 55.5% say it did not, and 2.9% don’t know or did not answer.   31.1% of Romanians believe it is best to consider superstitions in health, 9.9% in love/relationships, 9.3% in career/job matters, 8.7% in daily decisions (no specific domain), 7.7% in finances, and 3.9% in exams, interviews, or competitions. 6.5% don’t know or did not answer. Regarding “changing luck,” 24.2% of participants believe luck can be altered if certain superstitions are followed. 69.3% think luck cannot be changed, and 6.6% don’t know or did not answer. 30.9% have a lucky or favorite number, while 68.5% do not, and 0.6% don’t know or did not answer.   Regarding the superstition about the “black cat,” 15.8% of Romanians believe that if a black cat crosses their path, it brings bad luck, 82.7% do not believe in this superstition, and 1.5% don’t know or did not answer. 3.7% believe that walking under a ladder brings bad luck, while 91.6% do not, with 4.7% non-responses.   According to the barometer, 22.3% of participants believe that turning back on a path brings bad luck, 76.4% disagree, and 1.3% don’t know or did not answer. 13% believe “Tuesday or Friday the 13th” is an unlucky day, 84.7% do not, and 2.3% don’t know or did not answer. 6.4% of Romanians have consulted people considered “witches” or “spellcasters,” while 93.5% say they never did, and 0.1% don’t know or did not answer. 34.8% agree with the statement “Horoscopes and astrology can accurately predict personality traits or life events,” 61% disagree, 4.1% don’t know or cannot assess, and 0.1% did not answer.   42.6% agree with “Invisible energies (aura, chakras, bioenergy) influence health,” while 48.7% disagree. Non-responses were 8.7%. 51.4% agree that “There are energetically charged places in Romania,” 37.8% disagree, and 10.9% don’t know or did not answer. 28.9% believe places like the Bucegi Mountains or Sarmizegetusa emit special energies, 60% disagree, and 11.2% don’t know or did not answer. 38.2% agree that “Certain people have special abilities (clairvoyance, telepathy, healing by touch),” while 55.7% disagree, and 6.1% don’t know or did not answer. 21.2% believe “Spirits or ghosts can interact with our world,” 71.2% disagree, and 7.6% don’t know or did not answer.   56% believe that “Dreams can predict real events,” while 39.9% disagree, with 4.1% non-responses. 5.5% have participated in alternative spiritual practices (e.g., numerology, tarot, reiki, esoteric yoga), while 94.5% have not. Romanians believe in population manipulation via AI and premonitory dreams26.1% agree with “Humans have not been to the Moon; it was staged,” 64.9% disagree, 8.8% don’t know or cannot assess, and 0.2% did not answer.   40.1% agree with “Vaccines are used to control the population,” 53.5% disagree, 6.3% don’t know or cannot assess, and 0.1% did not answer.   22.4% agree that “Aliens have visited Earth and governments hide this,” 61.1% disagree, 16.3% don’t know or cannot assess, and 0.3% did not answer.   61.4% believe “Romania is a country where external powers secretly control major decisions,” 30.6% disagree, 7.6% don’t know or cannot assess, and 0.3% did not answer.   55.6% agree that “Modern technologies (5G, AI) are used to manipulate the population,” 37.9% disagree, 6.3% don’t know or cannot assess, and 0.2% did not answer. 58.4% believe “Pandemics or economic crises result from secret power groups’ plans,” 34.1% disagree, 7.3% don’t know or cannot assess, and 0.2% did not answer. 23.7% rather agree that “Alternative medicine (e.g., herbs, bioenergy) is more effective than modern medicine,” while 64.8% choose “Modern medicine is more effective than alternative medicine,” 10.9% don’t know or cannot assess, and 0.6% did not answer.   50.8% rely more on reason and science for important decisions, while 43.8% rely on faith and tradition, with 5.4% non-responses. 33% say “Religious belief is more important than scientific explanations,” 15.6% believe “Scientific explanations are more important than religious belief,” and 50.1% think “Religious belief and scientific explanations are equally important,” with 1.2% non-responses. If a close person recommended it, 7.1% would try practices like energy work, spells, numerology, or divination, while 92.1% would not, 0.5% don’t know or cannot assess, and 0.2% did not answer.   The Informat.ro Barometer – INSCOP Research “Romania Between Magic and Esotericism” was conducted by INSCOP Research for the news platform Informat.ro in partnership with the think tank Strategic Thinking Group. Data were collected from October 6–10 via CATI (telephone interviews) with a stratified sample of 1,100 people, representative of Romania’s non-institutionalized population aged 18 and over. The maximum margin of error is ±2.95% at a 95% confidence level.