A new study suggests that Americans who believe in God while placing strong trust in science and reason may be more likely to believe in ghosts, curses and other supernatural phenomena.
The research, published in the academic journal ‘Social Forces’ during the summer, examined how religious belief and what researchers describe as ‘secular rationalism’ can coexist.
Its findings challenge the assumption that people who move away from traditional religious authority will necessarily abandon supernatural beliefs.
The study was led by Ruiqian Li, a research assistant professor at the School of Public Affairs at American University, alongside academic co-authors. It analysed data from the 2025 Baylor Religion Survey, a nationally representative survey of 1,812 American adults conducted by Gallup in early 2025.
Faith, reason and supernatural beliefs
The researchers used four survey questions to measure secular rationalism, which they defined through attitudes including the belief that science is the only way to understand the world, that morality should be based on reason rather than religious teaching, and that people should interpret spiritual matters for themselves rather than rely on religious authorities.
They compared these attitudes with respondents’ beliefs in six supernatural phenomena, including ghosts, curses and communication with the dead. They also examined beliefs about miracles, including whether miracles still happen today and whether God is their source.
One of the most striking findings concerned Americans who continued to believe in God while strongly agreeing with secular rationalist ideas.
Among this group, about 40 per cent leaned towards belief in magic, compared with 19 per cent of those who believed in God but did not share the same rationalist outlook.
A similar pattern emerged among people who attended religious services. Among this group, 28 per cent of those with stronger secular rationalist beliefs leaned towards belief in magic, compared with 19 per cent of those who did not.
However, this relationship was no longer evident among people who never attended religious services or did not believe in God.
The findings suggest that the combination of personal spirituality and scepticism towards religious institutions may be significant in shaping beliefs about the supernatural.
Religion without religious authority?
Li and the co-authors suggest that some people continue to believe in God and maintain links with religious communities while no longer accepting that churches or religious leaders should determine what they believe about supernatural phenomena.
The researchers point to practices such as astrology, tarot and psychic services as examples of supernatural interests that do not necessarily require membership of a religious institution.
Their findings come amid wider changes in American religious affiliation. Around three in 10 American adults have no religious affiliation, according to figures cited in the research.
However, the absence of a formal religious identity does not necessarily mean a person rejects spirituality. The study cites Pew Research Center findings indicating that only a small proportion of Americans without a religious affiliation identify as atheists, while many retain some belief in something beyond the natural world.
The researchers argue that this distinction matters when considering whether declining participation in organised religion will inevitably lead to a more secular society in which supernatural beliefs disappear.
An ancient relationship between magic and religion
The research also places the findings in a broader historical context, noting that magic, religion and scientific thinking have not always been treated as mutually exclusive.
It cites French sociologist Émile Durkheim, who wrote in 1912: ‘The magician has a clientele, not a church.’
The observation highlights a distinction between individual supernatural practices and organised religious life. Belief in magic does not necessarily require a shared doctrine, a congregation or an established religious hierarchy.
The study also refers to archaeologist Chris Gosden’s argument that belief in magic predates both organised religion and modern science, and that the three have coexisted for much of human history.
For Li and the co-authors, the findings offer a more detailed picture of how these different outlooks can overlap in contemporary America.
More research needed
The researchers caution that their findings provide a snapshot rather than evidence of how people’s beliefs develop over time.
Because the survey captured attitudes at a single point in time, it cannot establish whether people are moving away from organised religion, returning to faith or maintaining a relatively stable combination of religious and rationalist beliefs.
Further research following the same participants over a longer period would be needed to understand how their views change.
The study also leaves questions about why supernatural beliefs appeal to younger Americans and how such beliefs spread.
Its central finding is that trust in science and reason does not automatically rule out belief in the supernatural. Among some Americans, particularly those who retain a belief in God, the two appear capable of existing side by side.
