Bulgarians Keep Faith With Supernatural Forces

Many Bulgarians still believe in magic, superstitions and conspiracy theories, sociological research compiled by the Trend agency and published on Thursday says.

According to the study, 40 per cent of adult Bulgarians believe a secret society rules the world, 75 per cent trust the prophetic powers of the late "seer" known as Baba Vanga and 73 per cent knock on wood to fend off misfortune.

When it comes to their trust in alien lifeforms, almost a third of Bulgarians think there are extraterrestrials.

What is more, 19 per cent think humankind has already made contact with them and 14 per cent are certain that some of them already cohabit our plant and live among us.

Trust in secret societies and conspiracies is at a similar level, Trend found out: 66 per cent of Bulgarians think new types of illnesses are being created to boost pharmaceutical sales and 40 per cent think the world is under the control of a secret society.

Almost half of those taking part in the survey have higher education, Trend researchers point out.

One third of Bulgarians have gone to fortune-tellers or magicians, which explains the high level of trust in people with supernatural powers or abilities to guess the future - 63-64 per cent believe they exist, while 54 per cent believe in supernatural healing, the research concluded.