Longitudinal study about the space occupied by the pseudosciences in bookshops of Quebec
In this article, we present the results of a longitudinal study on the proportion of space devoted, on the one hand, to books of pseudosciences (paranormal, the occult, new age, methods of divination, etc.) and of sciences for adults; and on the other hand, on the proportion of space devoted to books of spirituality and sciences for children in the bookstores of Quebec. Two measures were taken, one in 2001 in 55 bookstores, and the other one in 2011 in 72 bookstores. Statistical analyses were conducted only on the measures taken in the bookstores that were visited at the two measurement times. Results from correlational analyses show that those bookstores that devote more space to books of pseudosciences for adults (n = 40) and to books of spirituality for children (n = 38) are the same in 2001 and 2011. Moreover, a repeated measures ANOVA indicate that the proportion of space devoted to books of pseudosciences for adults had decreased at the second measurement time, which is not the case for books of spirituality for children. After briefly revisiting the methodology and results, we put forward four reasons that may explain the popularity of pseudosciences, as well as a few ethical and social consequences from their fashion. In our concluding remarks, we suggest two solutions to promote scientific reasoning among adolescents and children.