How do people use astrology today?

People use astrology in many different ways. Some use it for fun, some for self-reflection, some for identity, and some as part of their spiritual life.

This 2025 study combined nationally representative US survey data with interviews with members of the public and professional astrologers. In the survey, women, sexual minorities and younger adults were each more likely to consult their horoscope.

In the interviews, astrology worked less like a religious belief and more like a personal language: a marker of identity, a way to understand yourself, and entertainment, sitting in a similar cultural space to other personality systems. For professional astrologers and their clients, it was part of a wider spirituality and used for decision-making and self-understanding.

What this does and doesn't show

The authors describe it as a preliminary, descriptive analysis of who uses astrology and why. It does not test whether astrology is accurate.

Related: why people use astrology in modern life and why astrology feels so personal.

Sample: Nationally representative US survey data plus interviews with members of the public and professional astrologers.