Paranormal belief and attitudes toward human rights

Abstract

The current study aimed at revealing the relationship between paranormal belief and attitudes toward human rights. For this purpose, two questionnaires were employed, the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (RPBS; Tobacyk, 2004) and the Attitudes Toward Human Rights Inventory (ATHRI; Crowson, 2004). The analysis of the data (n = 220) revealed a significant negative correlation between the two scales. Based on the ANOVA results, participants with lower compared to higher paranormal belief had more positive attitudes toward human rights. In particular, in the multiple regression analysis, the Traditional Religious Belief and Superstition subscales of the RPBS scale were the main predictors for attitudes toward human rights. Therefore, both analyses support the idea that belief in paranormal phenomena decreases positive attitudes toward human rights among Iranians.