Over a quarter of Jewish adults in the United States say they consult astrology or a horoscope at least once or twice a year, according to a new study.
The study by the Pew Research Center survey, published Wednesday, surveyed U.S. opinion on astrology, tarot cards and fortune tellers. It found that 18% of American Jews believe in astrology compared to 27% of the overall population.
Astrology is not a central feature of Jewish practice, though elements similar to it do appear in Jewish mystical tradition and ancient rabbinic sources, including references to the constellations of the Zodiac.
Recently, some Jews have explored links between astrology and Judaism: At the Well, a Jewish wellness group, incorporates the Zodiac into its work. J., the Bay area Jewish newspaper, runs a monthly “Astrolojew” column and has featured Jewish tarot card art. Other Jews have also blended witchcraft and Jewish folklore, taking on the title “Jewitches.”
The Pew survey found that 11% of Jews say they consult tarot cards at least once or twice a year, and 4% say they consult a fortune teller at least once or twice a year.
The survey found that 8% of Jews said that they consult a fortune teller, tarot cards, astrology or a horoscope mostly for helpful insights, while 19% reported they consulted them just for fun.
Just 5% of Jews reported that they relied on insights from fortune tellers, tarot cards or astrology at least “a little” for major life decisions. Zero percent said they relied “a lot” on those practices.
The survey was conducted from Oct. 21 to Oct. 27, 2024, and included 9,593 total respondents, including 388 Jews. The margin of error for the overall survey was 1.3%, while the margin of error for Jewish respondents was 6.5%.
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