However adults did not seem more modern, studies confirm that from generation to generation at least the belief in Santa Claus does not change. Like 40 years ago, about 85% of American children believe in the reality of a fairy-tale character.
In 1978 was published a small study in the American journal of orthopsychiatry: 85% of respondents 4-year-olds said they believe in Santa. Among 6-year-old figure was slightly lower – 65% of them said that Santa Claus exists. But 8-year-old was more skeptical – only 25% still believed in Santa.
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These studies Jacqueline Woolley, published in the journal «Cognition and development» in 2011, show that the situation has not changed. 83% of today’s children believe in the existence of Santa Claus.
Moreover, according to a study published last year in the journal «Cognitive development»: the more children see «Santa Claus» in person, the more likely it is that they believe in his «reality». The survey involved 77 children aged 2 to 10 years who were acquainted with a man dressed in a Santa Claus, a children’s science Museum in Normale, Connecticut.
After the meeting, 39.2% of children said that it was the same Santa who used to sneak them into the house through the chimney. Another 38.8 per cent did not believe that the «real» Santa. Moreover, this group of children suggested that «fake» my grandfather still lived at the North pole and already there can communicate with an authentic Santa Claus.
But when children do start to lose faith in the reality of fairy-tale character? Psychologist Andrew shtulman believes that it mostly happens in elementary school.
«Not accidentally, the children stop believing in Santa in early school years, because that’s the time when they formed a more sophisticated view about what is possible and what is not» — said shtulman.
According to the psychologist, when children begin to form questions like: «How did Santa know I’m well behaved or bad this year?», their faith is gradually starting to subside.
Thalia Goldstein, assistant Professor of applied developmental psychology, believes that despite the fact that children begin to doubt the existence of Santa Claus, they tend to be proud of, that decided some sort of mystery of the holiday.
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