A new Pew Research Center report has found around a quarter of Americans (27%) believe in astrology, which is the understanding that the position of the stars and planets can affect people’s lives.
“Despite recent attention to astrology,” the report states, “the number of Americans who believe in astrology doesn’t appear to have changed very much in recent years.” In a 2017 survey, the rate was at 27%. Reports from prior years show similar results.
Women, young people and LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to believe in astrology than their counterparts. The survey found 35% of women believe in astrology, almost twice the rate of men (18%). One-third (33%) of those aged 18-29 believe in astrology, compared to 17% of those over 65. LGBTQ+ individuals believe in astrology at a rate of 43%, compared to 26% of non-LGBTQ+ people.
The report suggests religious affiliation plays a part in whether one believes in astrology, but not as much as one may expect. The rate of Christians who consult their horoscope at least once a year (27%) is only slightly less than that of those who are religiously unaffiliated (30%).
For those Christians and religiously unaffiliated who consult their horoscope, there isn’t much difference in their motivation. Around 10% of both (8% of Christians and 11% of the religiously unaffiliated) who consult horoscopes do so for “helpful insights. Roughly the same amount (20% for Christians, 21% for religiously unaffiliated) do so “just for fun.”
The study also looked at how Americans engage in Tarot readings or visit with fortune tellers. More results, including the survey’s methodology, can be found here.
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