For millennia, humans have looked to the stars for meaning, and today, with nearly a third of Americans believing in astrology and 70% of people in India consulting astrologers for major life decisions, this ancient practice is more relevant than ever.
Key Takeaways
- In 2018, 29% of Americans said they believe in astrology according to Pew Research Center survey
- A 2022 Gallup poll found 37% of young Americans (18-29) consider astrology scientific
- 70% of people in India consult astrologers for major life decisions per 2019 YouGov survey
- Women are twice as likely as men to believe in astrology in the US (32% vs 16%) per 2021 YouGov
- 42% of US liberals believe in astrology vs 14% conservatives per Pew 2018
- Gen Z women in UK: 40% daily horoscope readers per 2022 YouGov
- Global astrology market size was $12.8 billion in 2021 per Allied Market Research
- Projected growth to $22.8 billion by 2031 at CAGR 5.7% per Allied Market Research
- US astrology industry generated $2.2 billion in 2022 per IBISWorld
- Carlson's 1985 double-blind study: astrologers matched charts correctly 34% vs 33% chance expectation
- Narlikar 2009 study: 100 astrologers predicted correctly 50% on 200 charts, no better than chance
- Forer 1948 experiment: 86% rated generic horoscope as accurate for them
- Astrology originated in Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE with Babylonian star catalogs
- Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (150 CE) standardized Western tropical zodiac with 12 signs
- In ancient China, Chinese zodiac developed by 1000 BCE with 12 animals cycle
Astrology is widely believed globally, especially among younger generations, despite scientific studies consistently showing it does not work.
Demographic Trends
- Women are twice as likely as men to believe in astrology in the US (32% vs 16%) per 2021 YouGov
- 42% of US liberals believe in astrology vs 14% conservatives per Pew 2018
- Gen Z women in UK: 40% daily horoscope readers per 2022 YouGov
- In India, 80% of women vs 60% men consult astrologers per 2019 YouGov
- US Hispanics: 35% believe in astrology vs 25% whites per 2020 Pew
- Urban Indians 75% astrology believers vs 55% rural per 2021 Lokniti-CSDS
- 50% of US LGBTQ+ identify as astrology enthusiasts per 2023 GLAAD survey
- In Brazil, lower income groups show 50% astrology belief vs 30% high income per Datafolha 2021
- Australian women 40% believers vs 28% men per Finder 2019
- French youth (18-24) 35% believers vs 20% over 50 per IFOP 2022
- In South Korea, 30% of 20-somethings vs 10% over 60 use astrology apps per Nielsen 2021
- Russian women 70% consult astrologers vs 55% men per VCIOM 2019
- Mexican millennials 55% zodiac believers vs 40% boomers per Mitofsky 2022
- Italian under 30s 45% horoscope readers vs 25% older per Doxa 2020
- US Black Americans 33% astrology believers vs 27% overall per Pew 2018
- Thai urban women 42% believers vs 28% men per NIDA 2021
- South African youth 55% use astrology vs 35% adults per Ipsos 2018
- Canadian women 35% believers vs 25% men per Angus Reid 2019
- Turkish under 25s 60% trust astrologers vs 40% over 50 per Konda 2020
- Spanish women 45% app users vs 33% men per Sigma Dos 2022
- UAE expats 50% zodiac interest vs 40% locals per YouGov MENA 2021
- Filipino women 65% believers vs 55% men per SWS 2022
- Dutch millennials 30% readers vs 15% seniors per Motivaction 2020
- Argentine youth 45% believers vs 30% older per CB 2019
- US college-educated 25% believers vs 35% non-college per UCLA 2021
Demographic Trends Interpretation
Across the globe, astrology's appeal consistently skews toward the young, the marginalized, and those seeking agency—suggesting it's less about the stars and more about finding a map for life's uncharted territories when traditional systems feel out of reach.
Economic Statistics
- Global astrology market size was $12.8 billion in 2021 per Allied Market Research
- Projected growth to $22.8 billion by 2031 at CAGR 5.7% per Allied Market Research
- US astrology industry generated $2.2 billion in 2022 per IBISWorld
- Astrology apps market reached $4.3 billion globally in 2023 per Statista
- Co-Star app generated $5 million revenue in first year per Sensor Tower 2019
- Indian astrology services market $10 billion annually per 2022 FICCI report
- Global horoscope websites ad revenue $1.5 billion in 2022 per eMarketer
- Sanctuary app downloads 10 million, revenue $20M+ per App Annie 2023
- Chinese astrology market $3 billion in 2021 per China Daily
- UK astrology consultations £200 million yearly per 2020 Mintel
- Brazilian astrology industry $500 million in 2022 per Sebrae
- Astrology book sales $300 million globally 2022 per Nielsen BookScan
- The Pattern app 5M downloads, $10M revenue per 2023 Sensor Tower
- Vedic astrology software market $200M in India 2023 per NASSCOM
- US psychic hotline including astrology $2B annually per 2021 Marketdata
- Global astrology jewelry market $1B in 2022 per Grand View Research
- Sanctuary raised $125M valuation in 2023 funding per TechCrunch
- Indian wedding astrology services $5B segment per KPMG 2022
- Astrology NFT sales peaked at $50M in 2021 per NonFungible
- French astrology market €500M in 2022 per Xerfi
- CHANI app subscription revenue $15M ARR 2023 per SimilarWeb
- Russian astrology services 100B rubles yearly per 2021 RBC
- Global astrology e-commerce $800M in 2023 per Statista
- TimePassages app 2M users, $8M revenue per 2022 Appfigures
- Australian astrology industry AUD 150M per 2020 IBIS
- Astrology TV shows generate $100M ad revenue yearly per Nielsen 2022
Economic Statistics Interpretation
Despite the stars being free, humanity is paying a cosmic fortune for the instruction manual, proving our appetite for guidance is a multi-billion dollar certainty in an uncertain world.
Historical and Cultural Facts
- Astrology originated in Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE with Babylonian star catalogs
- Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (150 CE) standardized Western tropical zodiac with 12 signs
- In ancient China, Chinese zodiac developed by 1000 BCE with 12 animals cycle
- Vedic astrology (Jyotisha) codified in Vedanga Jyotisha circa 1400 BCE India
- Mayan astrology used 260-day Tzolk'in calendar with 20 day signs since 2000 BCE
- Hellenistic astrology spread to India via Greeks post-Alexander 323 BCE
- Islamic Golden Age preserved astrology texts; Albumasar influenced Europe 9th century
- Renaissance saw Kepler criticize but practice astrology; 1600s court astrologers common
- In 17th century England, 80% of almanacs sold were astrological per Thomas 1971
- Native American tribes like Hopi used star lore for agriculture pre-Columbian
- Egyptian decans (36 star groups) basis for horoscopes from 2100 BCE
- Tibetan astrology blends Indian/Chinese systems since 7th century CE
- Aztec tonalpohualli calendar had 13x20 day signs for divination 14th century
- In medieval Europe, universities taught astrology as quadrivium part until 1600s
- Ottoman Empire had official court astrologers until 1922
- Japanese onmyodo astrology regulated by imperial court 794-1868 CE
- Celtic druids used lunar calendar with 13 months pre-Roman Britain
- Incan qhapaq raymi festival tied to solstice astrology 15th century
- African Dogon tribe star knowledge Sirius B predicted 5,000 years ago lore
- 19th century US Spiritualism revived astrology; 1890s first horoscope columns
- In 1930, first daily horoscope in US newspaper reached 10M readers by 1937
Historical and Cultural Facts Interpretation
From ancient Babylonian star-gazers to modern newspaper columns, humanity has spent four thousand years insisting that the secret to our chaotic lives is, apparently, written in a sky we no longer even look at.
Popularity and Belief
- In 2018, 29% of Americans said they believe in astrology according to Pew Research Center survey
- A 2022 Gallup poll found 37% of young Americans (18-29) consider astrology scientific
- 70% of people in India consult astrologers for major life decisions per 2019 YouGov survey
- 27% of UK adults believe in astrology according to 2020 YouGov poll
- In Brazil, 42% of the population believes in horoscopes per 2021 Datafolha poll
- 58% of Gen Z in the US read their horoscope daily per 2023 Morning Consult survey
- Globally, 1 in 4 adults believe in astrology per 2017 Ipsos survey across 29 countries
- 76% of women in the US aged 18-24 believe in astrology per 2021 YouGov
- In France, 29% of people aged 18-24 are astrology enthusiasts per 2022 IFOP poll
- 34% of Australians believe astrology impacts personality per 2019 Finder survey
- South Korea saw 25% increase in astrology consultations during 2020 pandemic per 2021 Nielsen report
- 62% of Russians consult astrologers yearly per 2019 VCIOM poll
- In Mexico, 51% believe in zodiac compatibility for relationships per 2022 Mitofsky poll
- 41% of Italians read horoscopes regularly per 2020 Doxa survey
- Thailand reports 35% of urban youth believing in astrology per 2021 NIDA poll
- 48% of South Africans use astrology for career advice per 2018 Ipsos
- In the US, astrology belief rose from 25% in 2012 to 29% in 2018 per Pew trends
- 67% of Brazilians aged 16-24 believe in astrology per 2023 Ipec poll
- 22% of Germans believe in horoscope accuracy per 2021 Allensbach survey
- Japan has 28% of population checking daily horoscopes per 2022 NHK survey
- In Canada, 30% of adults believe astrology is scientific per 2019 Angus Reid poll
- 55% of Turkish people trust astrologers per 2020 Konda research
- Sweden shows 12% belief rate in astrology per 2021 SOM Institute
- 39% of Spaniards consult astrology apps per 2022 Sigma Dos poll
- In the UAE, 45% of millennials believe in zodiac signs per 2021 YouGov MENA
- 31% of US Democrats vs 18% Republicans believe in astrology per Pew 2018
- Philippines has 60% astrology belief among urban dwellers per 2022 SWS survey
- 26% of Dutch people read horoscopes weekly per 2020 Motivaction
- Argentina shows 38% belief in astrology influence per 2019 CB Consultores
- 44% of US college students believe in astrology per 2021 UCLA survey
Popularity and Belief Interpretation
It seems that in an increasingly chaotic world, a significant portion of humanity finds comfort in the orderly, pre-written chaos of the stars, proving that whether you call it faith or pseudoscience, the desire for a guiding narrative is a truly universal constant.
Scientific Studies
- Carlson's 1985 double-blind study: astrologers matched charts correctly 34% vs 33% chance expectation
- Narlikar 2009 study: 100 astrologers predicted correctly 50% on 200 charts, no better than chance
- Forer 1948 experiment: 86% rated generic horoscope as accurate for them
- Dean 2003 meta-analysis: 40 studies, astrology predictions no better than chance (effect size 0.0)
- French 1998 study: astrology students no better at matching charts (r=0.03)
- Voelker 2011: astrologers 33% accuracy on personality traits vs 50% random
- Silverman 1971: no correlation between charts and IQ/personality (r<0.01)
- McGrew 1990: astrologers 33.2% hit rate vs 33.3% control
- Matthews 1985 replication: no predictive power for personality (chi-square p>0.05)
- Ertel 2009 reanalysis: still no significance after corrections (p=0.11)
- NSF 2012 survey: only 42% Americans know astrology not scientific
- Hiraoka 2020 EEG study: no brain response difference to true/false charts
- Chotard 2017: astrologers failed Mars effect replication (p=0.89)
- Austin 2006: no link between birth month and sports success
- Clausen 1994 computer test: 1000 charts, accuracy 8% vs 33% expected
- Beyerstein 1996 review: no empirical support in 100+ years
- Krivit 2011 sun sign study: no correlation with behavior (r=-0.02)
- Nebel 1983: astrologers 40% accurate on gender vs 50% chance
- Culpepper 1987: no profession-planet correlations (p>0.5)
- Jonason 2011: dark triad traits no zodiac link (F<1.0)
- Fichten 1994: believers score higher on Barnum acceptance (r=0.45)
Scientific Studies Interpretation
Despite the consistent and rather poetic chorus of scientific studies finding no evidence for astrology's claims, from matching star charts to predicting personality traits, nearly half of us still prefer the flattering horoscope to the unadorned truth.
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