YOU may avoid walking under ladders, hate the number 13 and throw spilled salt over your shoulder, but some celebrities prefer to put their trust in lucky coal, necklaces... and elfin ears.

Despite advances in science and technology, most of us still believe it is possible to influence our day by following certain rituals.

But a survey commissioned to launch television channel Sky Real Lives revealed that the younger generation are more likely to be influenced by modern superstitions.

The most popular, gaining 24 per cent of the vote, was to wear a lucky item of clothing for important events, including nights out on the town.

This was closely followed (22 per cent) by the choosing of meaningful numbers such as birth dates and anniversaries as their lottery numbers.

Tiger Woods wears a red jumper on a Sunday because he associates the colour with "strength and assertiveness".

Could the colourful cardie be the key to winning so many professional tournaments?

Björn Borg always wore the same pinstripe kit at Wimbledon and would let his beard grow before the event.

England and Chelsea captain John Terry claims to have "about 50" pre-match superstitions. The most powerful of these involved wearing the same lucky shin-guards for over a decade.

Disastrously, Terry lost them before the first leg of a 2004 Champions League tie in Barcelona. Chelsea lost the match.

David Beckham's own pre-match routines border on obsessive compulsive disorder.

Again, they involve apparel, with Becks always wearing long sleeves and a fresh pair of boots for each game. Off pitch he reputedly insists on buying exactly 20 packets of noodles at a time, while at home he repeatedly arranges his cola cans to face the same way in the fridge.

Other superstitious celebs include Cameron Diaz, who wears a necklace to ward off the effects of ageing, and "knocks on wood all day long".

Diaz is not alone in her foibles. Showbiz has had a long history of superstitions and today's stars seem to be doing their bit to keep it going.

Cate Blanchett reportedly keeps her Lord of the Rings elf ears on her mantle for luck, and Julie Walters of Billy Elliot fame kept a piece of coal in her bag on Oscars night.

Meat Loaf has two stuffed bears without whom he won't travel, and Missy Elliot will go home should a black cat cross her path.

Conversely, Angelina Jolie has a tattoo of the Roman numeral 13 because she doesn't believe in superstitions!

Other modern superstitions include looking someone in the eye when saying "Cheers" and clinking glasses to avoid seven years of bad luck.

Then there's the Three Day Rule - never calling someone the day after meeting them, but waiting a few days to arrange a date instead.

Around 12 per cent of us will routinely respond to or forward an email equivalent of a chain letter to avoid bad luck, while four per cent believe that if you can "Googlewhack" your name (return just one response from an internet search engine query) it is good luck.

Professor Richard Wiseman, chair in the public understanding of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, said: "We usually carry out superstitious behaviours to gain a sense of control in our lives.

"The survey shows just how deep-seated that desire is, because despite huge advances in our lifestyles, these new superstitions have managed to spread throughout society."