{"id":238988,"date":"2025-05-21T09:51:42","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T13:51:42","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-03-04T13:12:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T18:12:27","slug":"3-in-10-americans-consult-astrology-tarot-cards-or-fortune-tellers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/05\/21\/3-in-10-americans-consult-astrology-tarot-cards-or-fortune-tellers\/","title":{"rendered":"30% of Americans Consult Astrology, Tarot Cards or Fortune Tellers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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A fortune teller arranges tarot cards on table. (Prathan Chorruangsak\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
How we did this<\/summary>\n

Pew Research Center conducted this study to gauge Americans\u2019 experiences with astrology, tarot cards and fortune tellers, and the role they play in people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this analysis, we surveyed 9,593 U.S. adults from Oct. 21 to 27, 2024. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly. This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection. Surveys were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP\u2019s methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the questions used for this report<\/a>, the topline<\/a> and the survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Over the past decade, media reports have described rising popular interest<\/a> in New Age<\/a> practices such as astrology, tarot card reading and fortune-telling. These practices are frequently associated with young people<\/a>, and they have developed their own social media cultures<\/a> on TikTok and other platforms, especially during the period of social distancing brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>. So, how popular are these practices, and why do Americans engage in them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fall 2024 Pew Research Center survey finds that 30% of U.S. adults say they consult astrology (or a horoscope), tarot cards or a fortune teller at least once a year, <\/strong>but most do so just for fun, and few Americans say they make major decisions based on what they learn along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bar<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are other key takeaways from the nationally representative survey of 9,593 U.S. adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite recent attention to astrology, the number of Americans who believe in astrology doesn\u2019t appear to have changed very much in recent years. <\/strong>On the new survey, 27% of U.S. adults say they \u201cbelieve in astrology (the position of the stars and planets can affect people\u2019s lives).\u201d That is not significantly different from what we found when we asked an identical question in 2017 (29%). And, although the results of earlier surveys may not be directly comparable because of differences in methodology, Gallup polls from 1990 to 2005<\/a> consistently found that between 23% and 28% of Americans believed in astrology.[1. Pew Research Center has previously asked some other questions about topics covered in this report, though question wording has varied. Recently, in a 2024 survey of three dozen countries<\/a>, 9% of U.S. adults said they consult a fortune teller, horoscope or other way to see the future<\/em>. The current survey does not specifically define astrology, horoscopes, tarot cards or fortune-telling as ways to see the future.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On most questions we asked about these practices, there are big differences by age and gender.<\/strong> Younger adults \u2013 and especially younger women \u2013 are more likely to believe in astrology and to consult astrology or horoscopes. For example, 43% of women ages 18 to 49 say they believe in astrology. That compares with 27% of women ages 50 and older, 20% of men ages 18 to 49, and 16% of men who are 50 and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bar<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Americans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) are especially likely to consult astrology or a horoscope, and tarot cards.<\/strong>[2. Respondents who did not answer the question about sexual orientation, or selected the \u201cDon\u2019t know\u201d or \u201cSomething else\u201d response options, are not included in the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) or non-LGBT categories.] About half of LGBT Americans (54%) consult astrology or a horoscope at least yearly \u2013 roughly twice the share among U.S. adults overall (28%). And LGBT women are more likely than LGBT men to consult astrology at least yearly (63% vs. 40%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, 33% of LGBT adults say they consult tarot cards \u2013 making them three times as likely as U.S. adults overall to say this (11%). And 21% of LGBT Americans say that when they make major life decisions, they rely at least a little<\/em> on what they\u2019ve learned from astrology or a horoscope, tarot cards, or a fortune teller. While there is limited academic research on the topic, media publications focused on LGBTQ+ issues have described the prevalence of New Age practices in the LGBTQ+ community<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, most Americans who engage in astrology, tarot cards or fortune-telling say they do it for fun,<\/strong> rather than for insights or guidance on life decisions. Overall, 20% of U.S. adults say they engage in at least one of these activities mostly \u201c<\/em>just for fun,\u201d while 10% say they do them mostly because they \u201cbelieve the practices give them helpful insights.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relatively few Americans make major life decisions based on what they learn from astrology, tarot cards or fortune tellers. Just 1% of U.S. adults say they rely a lot<\/em> on what they have learned from these practices when making major life decisions. <\/strong>An additional 5% say they rely a little<\/em> on what they have learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fewer than one-in-ten Americans engage in these practices on a weekly basis.<\/strong> While there are now abundant ways \u2013 both online and in person \u2013 to consult a horoscope, tarot cards and fortune tellers, just 6% of Americans report that they participate in one or more of these activities at least weekly. More (14%) say they engage monthly in at least one of these practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn more about how different demographic groups answer questions about:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n