Almost half of Londoners will avoid buying a house numbered 13, a new survey has revealed.
Commissioned by UK conference call provider Powwownow, the survey of 2000 people showed that 49% of Londoners will shy away from a house with the unlucky number.
Today is the second month in a row the 13th has fallen on a Friday and almost 17% of Londoners admitted they have experienced something unfortunate on the date, such as breaking a bone, losing money or splitting up with a partner.
The survey also showed 32% of Londoners will avoid travelling on the day, increasing the number of people working from home.
James Downes, managing director of Powwownow, said: “We know Friday 13 is generally considered one of the unluckiest days of the year, however, we didn’t realise how much of an impact the number 13 actually had on Londoners so much so that they won’t buy a property of this number.”
The fear of Friday 13 can otherwise be referred to as ‘paraskevidekatriaphobia’, which is Greek for Friday, 13 and phobia.
Even though the superstition is considered most popular in the Western hemisphere, only 15% of Londoners know why the number is considered unlucky.
The origins of the fear around today is still unclear, but it is thought it could date back as far as the Middle Ages.
Feature image courtesy of Leo Reynolds, with thanks
