Do You Believe in Miracles?

Americans are a famously optimistic people, even at times when objective conditions seem likely to squelch them. How come? Perhaps because they believe in miracles. In a survey conducted for Adweek by Alden & Associates Marketing Research of Hermosa Beach, Calif., 78.8 percent of adults said they believe in miracles. Women were significantly more likely than men to do so (84.0 percent vs. 69.8 percent). One might suppose that such belief is eroded by sad experience as people grow older, but that’s not the case.