How many Americans believe in astrology and rely on fortune-telling? A new survey has answers
A lot of American adults — about 3 in 10 — make use of astrology, tarot cards or fortune tellers at least once a year. But only a small fraction of them rely on what they learn from these practices to make major decisions.
That's according to a nationwide survey released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, encompassing 9,593 U.S. adults who were interviewed last October.
Overall, according to Pew, about 2 in 10 U.S. adults say they engage in at least one of these activities mostly "just for fun," while about 1 in 10 say they engage mostly because they 'believe the practices give them helpful insights.' Only about 1% say they rely 'a lot' on what they learn from these practices when making major life decisions.
Yet it's a big business. The psychic services industry — which encompasses various specialties such as astrology, palm-reading, psychic readings and fortune-telling — generated an estimated $2.3 billion in revenue in 2024 and employed 105,000 people, according to market research firm IBIS World.
'Traditional skepticism about consulting psychics has waned, with more consumers embracing these services, especially in times of uncertainty,' wrote IBIS World analyst Michal Dalal.
The biggest astrology fans? Younger women and LGBTQ+ people
There were some major demographic differences in responses to the Pew survey, notably finding that younger adults — and especially younger women — are more likely than other major age groups to consult astrology or horoscopes. According to Pew, about 4 in 10 women ages 18 to 49 say they believe in astrology. That compares with about 3 in 10 women 50 and older and about 2 in 10 men under age 50.
Another distinctive group: LGBTQ+ adults. According to the survey, about half of them consult astrology or a horoscope at least yearly — roughly twice the share among U.S. adults overall. Pew found that about 2 in 10 LGBTQ+ adults say that when they make major life decisions, they rely at least 'a little' on what they've learned from a fortune teller, tarot cards, astrology or a horoscope — a considerably larger share than any other demographic subgroup.
On the other hand, the survey found that adults ages 65 or older, those with high incomes and college degrees, and those who identify as politically conservative are less likely than other adults to believe in astrology and engage with tarot cards and fortune tellers.
Among other questions, Pew asked respondents if they were religiously affiliated, and about 7 in 10 said yes. Of that group, about 3 in 10 said they believe in astrology — very similar to the percentage of astrology believers among the religiously unaffiliated respondents who identified as atheist, agnostic or 'nothing in particular.'
About one-third of Black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics and adults who say their religion is 'nothing in particular' said they believe in astrology, according to Pew. Atheists, agnostics, white evangelical Protestants and Jewish Americans, meanwhile, were less likely than the general public to say they believe in astrology.
Among Hispanic Catholics, about 1 in 10 said they rely on insights from these practices at least 'a little' when making major life decisions, which was more than most of the other religious groups featured in the survey.
A growing industry
On the specific question of astrology, the new survey found that 27% of U.S. adults believed in it — similar to the 29% who answered affirmatively in a 2017 Pew survey.
According to IBIS World, the psychic services industry's total revenue has increased by more than 4% annually since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago, 'when business closures, sickness and loss of loved ones prompted a surge in demand for spiritual guidance services.'
' Astrology and aura reading are leveraging digital platforms to extend their reach,' IBIS World said. 'Thanks to easy access via mobile apps and social media platforms, personalized reports and virtual readings are gaining traction with younger consumers.'
Bias based on astrological signs? Expert says that's 'irrational'
Astrology, throughout its long history, has been embraced by its believers and treated with bemusement or even ridicule by skeptics. It was the subject of extensive research led by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, Jackson Lu. His team, using a sample of more than 170,000 people, determined in 2020 that there was extensive discrimination in China against Virgos, but that the bias was 'irrational' because astrological signs predict neither personality or job performance.
For supporters of psychic services, there have been positive developments more recently. Among them:
— Last year, the City Council in Norfolk, Virginia, repealed a 45-year-old ban on 'the practice of palmistry, palm reading, phrenology or clairvoyance, for monetary or other compensation.' Under that ban, various forms of fortune-telling could lead to as much as a year in jail.
— ' Look Into My Eyes,' a full-length documentary about psychics in New York, received numerous positive reviews after it was released in September. AP film critic Lindsey Bahr called it 'unjudgmental, funny and poignant.'
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
A rare hazel dormouse is spotted — and other news in pictures
Act now to keep your subscription We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
I'm estranged from my parents. How do I explain this to my child?
I am estranged from my parents. I was once close to them but after having my son I could no longer justify their poor and hurtful behaviour and I made the difficult decision to cut contract with them. They always said they had no interest in having grandchildren and they have made it clear they want no relationship with my son. I am mostly at peace with my decision, as sad as it is, as I feel that protecting my child from them is an act of love. What I struggle with is how I will explain this to my son as he gets older. He is five now, and doesn't question their absence, but I know this might change. How do I say 'my parents are cruel and self-centred people who have no interest in our lives' in a more palatable way and in a way that, most importantly, makes it clear that he is in no way to blame? Eleanor says: I'm so sorry you've had to make this decision. In telling him, I think you can be led by what he wants to know. It's amazing what we don't think to question when we don't know anything else. Kids grow up in all kinds of setups – three dads, two mums, raised by siblings, parents unknown – they don't always have the same sense as adults for what's noteworthy or what calls out for explanation. One strategy might be to level the explanations in an age-appropriate way as he gets older. 'Lots of families have lots of different relationships, and Grandma and Grandpa aren't in ours' could be a starting response that becomes incrementally more thorough as he seeks to know more. That way it doesn't feel as though there's one big day with one big reveal. When we handle facts gingerly we indicate that they're scary or that they might blow at any moment. If there's no sense of a big sombre reveal, we can make the opposite seem true: we can demonstrate that these are facts that don't have to be feared. People do this sometimes when telling kids they're adopted, for example. No big 'sit down we have to talk' moment, it's just always part of the wallpaper. A similar thing might be possible for you. He has loving, emotionally intelligent family near him already, there hasn't been a sudden change to his relationship with his grandparents – even once he learns more about the estrangement it might not occur to him to wonder about the details or think it could be his fault. Also, when you explain to him that they're not in your life, you don't have to add the moral adjudication of why not. I'm not sure how incomplete the explanation would be if you just said 'we aren't very friendly with each other so we've decided not to hang out'. The concept of 'bad people' and especially 'bad people in your family' can be tricky for kids, and making your parents figures of Bad or Evil might make them more fascinating than they'd otherwise be. The difficulty with giving full moral explanations of interpersonal conflicts – even if you're totally in the right – is that it makes them seem heated and therefore more curiosity-compelling, and it raises an imagined right of reply. If it's just 'we don't get on', there's not much more to say. If it's 'they're bad and we're better off without them', the curious listener might want to know more. They might even wonder how reliable the narrator is. You've had to make a difficult decision for yourself and your child. You don't need to submit all the inner workings of that decision to him for it to make sense. You can be led by age-appropriate honesty and his own questions. The letter has been edited for length.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
David Beckham to star in the King's Amazon Prime documentary
Act now to keep your subscription We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
