Ignorance of basic science, math, and skeptical thinking skills is not only widespread, but sadly understandable. Given that at least some level of ignorance on such matters is inevitable, it's important to explore the necessary consequences of it. Are people who are generally ignorant always and necessarily more likely to believe in the supernatural and paranormal? Are ignorant people more likely to be superstitious? Or are things like superstition only marginally correlated with ignorance, and thus a feature of human thinking which remains with us no matter how educated and mentally skilled we become?

A forum member writes:

I have been at home today waiting for repairmen, and I caught myself watching the UK version of Deal or No Deal.

I have watched other versions of this program in other countries, particularly in the States, Italy and Spain, and it always struck me as an entertaining tactical game.

The UK version is rather different. The host is Noel Edmonds, a local presenter who fell on hard times because of a series of mishaps, including a death on set. However, Edmonds is famous for being a bit of a crank, he is into positive thinking, and seems to believe that the Universe rewards those who think positively, or some such malarky. However, Edmonds has imbued the show with superstition and his ideas of positive thinking. Read this article by Jon Ronson if you dare. 

The show is filled with superstition. While the game i one of strict probabilities, players seem to have all sort of "systems" that help them reach decisions. Very few players that come into the show seem to be even mildly intelligent. Players are encouraged to say that they "feel" like a box does one thing or the other, and some players are randomly assigned bad reputations.

This has got me thinking into the link between ignorance, superstition and belief. Are ignorant people more likely to be believers? Does ignorance of statistics translate into superstition?

I guess I would be surprised if there weren't a strong correlation between decreased ignorance (in matters relating to science, math, and logical reasoning) and decreased belief in the supernatural and paranormal. At the same time, though, I think that superstition is probably a different matter entirely. I wouldn't be surprised if less ignorance didn't correlate all that strongly with less superstition — maybe a little less, but not enough to make a huge difference. Add your thoughts to the comments here or join the ongoing discussion in the forum.