Over three million superstitious Brits, that’s five per cent of the nation, will stay home on Friday 13^th to avoid bad luck according to a survey by Mecca Bingo.

Friday the 13^th has long been considered a day of misfortune and it looks like the belief in its ability to bring bad luck is here to stay. While many may consider superstitions to be nonsense, it seems that they are deeply rooted in the British psyche, with 80 per cent of UK residents admitting to being superstitious on this infamous date.

This belief in superstitions is especially strong around Friday 13^th, when 4.4 million of us will be extra vigilant. One fifth of Brits are so superstitious that they will avoid taking their driving test or stepping on a plane for fear of something bad happening.

The top ten moments Brits are at their most superstitious:

1. When sitting a test/exam (14%)
2. When buying a scratchcard/placing a bet/playing bingo (12%)
3. During a key life moment e.g. purchasing house/proposing/getting married (11%)
4. When looking for a new job (9%)
5. When it’s Friday 13th or Halloween (7%)
6. When getting on a flight (7%)
7. When playing games or sport (7%)
8. When going for a health check at the doctor/dentist (6%)
9. When taking a driving test (5%)
10. When trying to land a promotion (5%)

The fear of Friday 13^th stretches back to the story of Easter, when Jesus and the disciples sat 13 to a table for the Last Supper. Since Victorian times, a belief in bad luck on this ominous date has grown and research published in 1993 by the British Medical Journal found that there is actually an increase in road accidents on Friday 13^th, suggesting there may be some truth in our superstitious beliefs.

The top five lucky rituals and charms Brits rely on to ward off bad luck:

1. Wearing lucky socks (36%)
2. Touching wood (35%)
3. Wearing lucky pants (35%)
4. A lucky coin (23%)
5. Keeping fingers and toes crossed (22%)

Our very own Head of Brand, Caroline Webb, commented: “It seems that the feeling of bad luck and a mistrust of Friday 13^th is here to stay with so many of us admitting we’d rather stay at home to avoid any accidents and mishaps.

“It’s no surprise then, that a high proportion of Brits revert to relying on lucky charms and rituals to ward off any potential bad luck and help give us that lucky feeling.”