Organised religion might be out of favour among young people, with only a fifth (20%) of UK and US-based Millennials and Generation Z attending religious places of worship according to Vice and Virtue, yet a majority (80%) said they feel a sense of spirituality and believe in a higher power.
Some young people are swapping traditional religions for spiritual practices, often as an antidote to anxiety. Research shows that teenagers with a spiritual connection are 60% less likely to be depressed, says Lisa Miller, a psychologist and author of The Spiritual Child.
One way that young people are seeking spirituality is through tarot card readings, which have been used as a tool for divination for centuries. Psychotherapist Jessica Dore emphasises the importance of reading tarot through a therapeutic lens. She shares a card on her social media feeds every morning, encouraging her audience to follow the ritual as a way to ease their anxiety and reflect on their feelings.
This phenomenon is not exclusive to the West, however. In South Korea, where young people are fighting against economic hardship and dismal employment opportunities, fortune-telling will soon be a £2.9bn ($3.7bn, €3.2bn) business, and is especially popular among schoolgirls, according to The Economist. Demand for spiritual vending machines has also surged, as Seoul residents pay to receive inspirational affirmations to ease their anxieties on the go.
