Some religious Americans among the most likely to consult astrology, poll finds
Nearly 30% of Americans consult New Age practices such as astrology, Tarot cards or fortune tellers, with some religious groups ranking among the most likely to look to the practices for guidance in their lives, according to a new poll.
Most Americans who engage in at least one of these practices said they do it “just for fun” while half as many said they do it because they “believe the practices give them helpful insights,” a May 21 survey by Pew Research Center found.
The poll of 9,593 Americans was taken from Oct. 21 to 27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.3 percentage points, according to researchers.
Thirty-five percent of Hispanic Catholics,34% of Black Protestants, and 36% of people who describe themselves as believing in nothing in particular said they consult astrology for helpful insights, making those groups among the most likely to turn to the practice, the survey found.
When it comes to making major life decisions, Hispanic Catholics are the most likely to rely on these practices rather than engaging in them leisurely, researchers said.
On the other hand, Atheists, Jewish people, and white evangelical Protestants, are among the least likely to believe in these practices, according to the survey, with less than 20% of those surveyed saying they believe.
In general, both religious people and those who are religiously unaffiliated said they believe in astrology at similar rates, 27% to 28%, respectively, according to the survey.
Other findings
The poll also found that the biggest difference in the likelihood of Americans to believe or consult astrology is age and gender.
Women are twice as likely as men to believe in astrology, and people under 65 are more likely than people over 65 to consult it for guidance, according to the survey.
Americans who identify as LGBT also stood out when it came to consulting astrology, horoscopes or Tarot cards for helpful insights and not just for fun, with 29% saying they do so — 19 percentage points more than Americans in general, according to the survey.
Conservatives were also less likely than moderates and liberals to consult astrology for guidance, the survey found.
