Love and luck this February
Almost half of the population of England (49%) either always or sometimes celebrate Valentine’s Day, according to the latest results of our survey.
And it’s the younger people in the country that are most likely to celebrate, with chances of celebrating decreasing with age. But age proves to be the only deciding factor, as celebrating Valentine’s Day seems to cut across genders, regions, and ethnicities, with no significant differences.
Our survey also found that 4.9% — approximately two million people in England — have attached a love-lock to a bridge. For our resident love-lock expert on the team, Dr Ceri Houlbrook, this is especially fascinating.
‘A love-lock is a padlock typically engraved with a couple’s names or initials as a statement of romantic commitment,’ she explains. ‘We don’t really know where and when the love-lock custom began – lots of places claim to have the “original” love-lock bridge – but we do know it became popular in the 2000s, following its appearance in an Italian teenage romance novel.
‘It fascinates me that a custom sparked in another country less than two decades ago has been practiced by two million people in England. The other intriguing thing about our data is that it shows you’re most likely to love-lock if you live in the North West, and more likely if you’re Hindu, Sikh, or Muslim.’
Two million people have attached a love-lock in a public place.
Friday 13th
Valentine’s Day in 2026 also follows immediately after Friday 13th – which a quarter of people in England (23.9%) believe to be an unlucky day. Those most likely to believe that Friday the 13th is unlucky, according to our survey, are white women aged between 16 and 24. Conversely, however, 8.5% of people believe it’s lucky when the 13th falls on a Friday.
Dr David Clarke says: ‘The idea that Friday the 13th is unlucky stems from a recent combination of two older beliefs: a fear of Friday, that dates to the Middle Ages, and a more recent dislike of the number 13.
‘A fear that Friday was unlucky possibly stems back to the Catholic tradition that Friday was a day for penance; by the 18th century, the belief had spread to the extent that many people believed that Friday was an unlucky day to be born, get married, or begin any business or journey.
‘There are different explanations as to why 13 is considered unlucky in some cultures, including beliefs around the fact there were 13 people at the Last Supper, and some Pagan connotations such as there being 13 witches in a coven, or the death card being the 13th tarot Major Arcana card.’
Luck and lucky traditions
The National Folklore Survey for England also asked respondents about other lucky traditions, and we found that the most common ritual for luck was touching wood (35%). This was followed by avoiding walking under a ladder (29%) and crossing fingers (25%).
Over 40% of people in England carry something with them for good luck. The most common type of object carried for luck comes from nature, including things like pebbles, crystals, and shells. The second most common type of lucky object was one associated with a loved one.
Professor Owen Davies, from the University of Hertfordshire, says: ‘One respondent said that they carried for luck a “small bullet that just missed me when serving in the forces”. The “lucky bullet” as a protective talisman is an old tradition in the army, with many British soldiers in the First World War carrying one with them after a near fatal shot. Sometimes it was a pocket bible or locket that absorbed or deflected the bullet which became the lucky object.’
Other beliefs around luck from the survey include: 29% of people believe that breaking a mirror is bad luck, 27% of people believe that a black cat is lucky, and 20% believe it is lucky if a bird defecates on you.
The Survey revealed other beliefs around birds. Over half of people (51%) say that they take some action when they see a magpie, such as saluting, or speaking to them, while 13% believe that it is lucky if swallows, swifts, and house martins build a nest in the eaves of your home.
Dr Ceri Houlbrook, says: ‘In the 19th century, there were many in England who believed swallows, swifts, and house martins brought good luck to the home by building their nests in the eaves. I’d expected this belief to have fallen away, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that five million people in England still believe this. It’s interesting that you’re more likely to believe this the younger you are. Likewise, the age group most likely to carry lucky objects, such as crystals, pebbles, and acorns, and leave offerings in the landscape for luck are 25-34. Does this suggest that we’re returning to beliefs around the luck or magic of the natural world?’
More research to be done!
Thanks to Jonny Ford for the illustrations, as always.