About 1 in 3 Americans consult astrology, tarot cards or a fortune teller at least once a year, a new Pew Research Center report finds.

• The big picture: Most don't take any of it too seriously — but for many, it's a lighthearted way to spark deeper conversations about identity or find comfort during stressful times.

🧮 By the numbers: Astrology is more popular among younger Americans and women.

• 43% of women between the ages of 18 and 49 say they believe in astrology, compared with 27% of older women and 20% of men their age, per Pew.
• Just 6% of U.S. adults say they rely a lot or a little on insights gleaned from astrology, tarot cards or fortune tellers.

Zoom out: Astrology apps took off during the pandemic, when many people were stuck inside and looking for a fun outlet or some life advice.

• Global spending on astrology-related products and services is projected to balloon from $13 billion in 2021 to $23 billion in 2031, The Economist reports from Allied Market Research data.

📱 The intrigue: Many of the astrology apps gaining popularity double as social networks. Users drop in their sun, moon and rising signs, check out their friends' horoscopes, and dive into reports on personality and compatibility.

• It's "like sitting on a couch with your best friends and talking about yourself without judgement," Banu Guler, CEO of a popular app, Co-Star, told Axios.

Tranquility in a pic: This photograph, snapped around sunset, from the shores of Lake Unden in Sweden, comes from reader Stefano Galliani in Italy.