Examining Differences in Astrological Beliefs

Examining Differences in Astrological Beliefs Introduction Belief in astrology is astrology is widespread, both in the western world as well as other parts of the world. For instance, belief in "Sun signs" is very common and on the rise with individuals readily acknowledging the descriptions of these signs as part of their personality (Hamilton, 2000). “Odd- and even-numbered signs” are said to be believed by individuals depending on their native (Wunder, 2000). It has also been noted that the belief in these “Signs” is based on whether the numbers are odd or even. While belief in negative and positive signs attached to these numbers is an area that has been investigated (Hamilton, 2000), it is not very clear on whether belief in astrology is based on gender. This is despite the fact that some of the signs are considered to be more feminine while others are taken to be more masculine. The current study sought to understand whether there are differences in belief between males and females.

Cross-cultural differences are also cited as possible reasons for differences in astrological beliefs. For instance, Wunder (2003) mentions that societies which are principally "masculine" would tend to prefer odd-signs as opposed to "feminine" societies which would prefer even signs. Moreover, Rogers and Soule (2009) examined how Chinese astrology differs from western astrology in the acknowledging of Barnum profiles. Chinese nationals were found to have more acceptance of Barnum profile compared to western counterparts. In fact Huang and Teng (2009) report that Chinese superstitions are widely varying from western beliefs and thus it is expected that their astrological beliefs would differ from those of westerners. This study therefore envisaged to confirm whether astrological beliefs differ between countries, with a case of Australians and Chinese being used. Negative life-events are also cited as determinants of belief