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Witches, Magic, and Crystals: Assessing Differences in Paranormal Beliefs and Paranormal Engagement Across Sexual Identity Groups Using National Survey Data

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Abstract

Several studies using representative data have found that individuals identifying as LGBTQ tend to be less religious when compared to individuals identifying as heterosexual or straight. This is likely in part due to the hostility such individuals have faced by some religious traditions and communities. Relatively little quantitative research, though, has examined how sexual identity might influence beliefs and practices associated with alternative spiritualities. Using data from a national probability survey of US adults, we examine patterns of belief and engagement in witchcraft, spiritualism, psychism, and other phenomena we broadly label as paranormal in nature. Analyses find that, independent of a broad set of controls, individuals identifying as bisexual score higher on paranormal beliefs and engagement compared to individuals identifying as heterosexual. We do not find a difference between gay- or lesbian- and heterosexual-identifying individuals. The findings expand our understanding of how sexual identity influences spirituality beyond traditional definitions and measures of religion.

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Notes

  1. We did examine a principal factors analysis to see if these items represented multiple sub-dimensions. This analysis found that the items largely loaded onto a single factor with an eigenvalue of 10.28. The next factor’s eigenvalue was 1.58. For the purposes of this study, focusing on a single overall paranormal beliefs outcome seemed the most parsimonious option.

  2. As with the paranormal belief items, we examined a principal factors analysis for these paranormal behavior items. Again, the items all loaded heavily on a single factor with an eigenvalue of 5.88. The next factor had an eigenvalue of 1.63. We again chose to focus on a single scale as the most parsimonious option.

  3. Models 1 and 4 were presented merely to demonstrate any reduction in the association between bisexuality and paranormal beliefs and behaviors in the subsequent models, but, as they did not include control variables, they were not true tests of the associations. Models 3 and 6 were presented to rule out any potential confounding from an interaction between gender identity and sexual identity, which was not statistically significant.

  4. We did not hypothesize relationships for the control variables as they were only included to rule out confounding and, thus, do not adjust for their tests.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Elaine Howard Ecklund, John Evans, Bernard DiGregorio, and Erin Hudnall for their support and assistance with this project.

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the Science and Religion: Identity and Belief Formation grant initiative spearheaded by the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice University and the University of California-San Diego and provided by the Templeton Religion Trust via The Issachar Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA

    Taylor Remsburg, Christopher P. Scheitle & Katie E. Corcoran

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  1. Taylor Remsburg
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  2. Christopher P. Scheitle
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  3. Katie E. Corcoran
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Contributions

Data collection was performed by authors 2 and 3. The first draft of the manuscript was written by authors 1 and 2 all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Christopher P. Scheitle.

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All authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board at the author’s university (Protocol #2103250770).

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Remsburg, T., Scheitle, C.P. & Corcoran, K.E. Witches, Magic, and Crystals: Assessing Differences in Paranormal Beliefs and Paranormal Engagement Across Sexual Identity Groups Using National Survey Data. Sexuality & Culture 28, 1238–1254 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-023-10177-w

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