One Third Of Women Horoscope Users Consult The Stars Before Making Major Financial Decisions, According To iVillage Study

Poll Conducted in Connection with the Relaunch of iVillage's Astrology.com Debuting Today

New York, NY-December 10, 2009- In the midst of this holiday shopping season and on the heels of the recession, female consumers are turning to their horoscopes before dipping into their wallets. According to a new study conducted for iVillage, one third of women horoscope users turn to their daily reading before making personal financial decisions. The study was conducted in connection with the relaunch of iVillage's Astrology.com, which goes live today at http://www.astrology.com.

The relaunch of Astrology.com is part of iVillage's strategy to serve key touch points in women's daily routines. The Company began a site-wide makeover with its entertainment site in September followed by its new food site in November. New sites for health, beauty and family will launch throughout the first half of 2010.

"Whether they are hard core astrology believers or just want to add some fun to their daily routine, millions of women on iVillage check their horoscopes every day and share them with friends online," said Jodi Kahn, executive vice president, iVillage. "That number will only increase as we enter into the holiday season and New Year."

The research reveals that over one third of American women read their horoscope at least once every month. In addition to doing so before spending money, women horoscope readers also check before job interviews (33 percent), entering relationships (35 percent) and buying lottery tickets (34 percent).

The study also revealed that of women who use horoscopes:

* Nearly as many (37 percent) check horoscopes as they research personal health information (45 percent) on a monthly basis.

* Two-in-five (41percent) share their horoscopes with their friends.

· More than one-in-four (28 percent) say their horoscope can change their mood depending on what it says.

· Nearly one-in-three (29 percent) sometimes chalk up others' shortcomings to traits of their zodiac signs.

· Fifty-nine percent say they have a lucky number; with Seven topping the list, followed by Thirteen

· Twenty-one percent of moms believe that people of certain zodiac signs have better sex lives

· Nearly 40 percent check their husband's horoscope, 25 percent check their child's and 22 percent check other family members.

With millions of women tapping into astrology every day, iVillage's new Astrology.com was designed to be more female-focused and provide instant access to personalization and fun tools such as spinning a wheel for a quick view of love & sex, home & family, mind & body and more. The experience captures the mood of the user by enabling her to change the background color on the homepage - ranging from blue if she's feeling mellow to red is she's feeling energetic. The new site will also feature 20 different types of personalized horoscopes on topics ranging from finance to pets, more than any other astrology site, and will offer tarot and numerology readings as well as access to live psychics.

In addition, the site will look at modern life and current entertainment news through an astrology lens such as mismatched celebrity couples, "star" birthdays of the week and a daily celebrity blog. For parents, there will be monthly articles on how to raise the "little stars" in their lives according to their zodiac signs. Historically, two of the most popular astrological readings include "Child's Personal Astrology Reading," a cosmic guide for understanding your child's viewpoint, and "Parental Influence Reading," a key to understanding one's own parenting style.

Astrology.com has nearly two million unique visitors per month and offers a series of mobile applications for those who want readings on the go. Its flagship application, iScopes, has one of the most downloaded iPhone applications throughout NBCU. IScopes offers a touch-friendly zodiac wheel and over 30 categories of daily, weekly, monthly and yearly forecasts from "Daily Quickie" to "Yearly Career."

About iVillage

With 30 million unique visitors per month (Comscore, Oct. 2009), iVillage is the largest content-driven community for women on the Web, where they can find the most meaningful content, real-life conversations and the tools they need for their busy lives. The site focuses on categories that best serve women's needs, including Food, Health, Entertainment, Family, Beauty & Style. Additional businesses and brand extensions within iVillage Networks include iVillage UK, NBC Digital Health Network, NBC Digital Networks, Astrology.com and GardenWeb. In addition, iVillage enjoys a strategic partnership with BlogHer, the leading participatory news, entertainment and information network for women online. iVillage Inc., acquired by NBC Universal, Inc. in May 2006, is based in New York City, and is part of the NBC Universal Women & Lifestyle Entertainment Networks Group.

Methodology

The study was conducted by E-Poll® Market Research, a full service quantitative and qualitative consumer research firm based in Los Angeles, between September 29, 2009 and October 2, 2009. The sample source was an E-Poll online panel consisting of 1025 females; 18-54 years of age, who check their horoscope either in print, or online or through some other source.

Comments

[bobdcat]

01:46 PM on 12/11/2009

Keep in mind that the obstetrician who delivered you exerted far more gravitational pull on you than all solar system objects combined (other than the Earth). The doctor certainly exerted more mechanical force. Therefore, I must have been born under the sign of Dr. Grove.

It's the 21st century, folks! We know what the stars and planets are made of. We have been to all the solar system's major planets - even the two that the people who thought up astrology didn't even know about. Constellations are random patterns of starts with widely varying distances from Earth - and they change over time. There are not just four elements (air, earth, fire and water), there are over a hundred. Did you sleep through science class? Did you ever even take a science class?

[observer100]

03:54 PM on 12/10/2009

Thanks for publishing this poll. I am very encouraged to see more women consulting astrology for personal and family matters and believe it is a trend. This wonderful resource has been too long neglected at great cost to the global societies. Blessings X 10,

Ed

[Jimboy17]

12:24 AM on 12/11/2009

Yes. Of course.

[Hirnlego]

03:06 PM on 12/10/2009

Astrology is bogus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQPFoDkGFrU

[Jimboy17]

05:25 PM on 12/10/2009

I prefer soothing with goat entrails...btw, what is that logo?

[Hirnlego]

05:27 PM on 12/10/2009

Oh you heathen...it is of course the flying spaghetti monster.

[wm1066]

02:01 PM on 12/10/2009

I don't believe in the dailey horoscope but I have found that certian astro events do have power. Mercury Retrograde is one of them. If you make commitments on the day of mercury retrograde (and the day that it goes back to direct) things won't turn out right. Some say the whole three week period of mercury retrograde is dangerous to make great changes in your life. When I first started to watch world events during an M Retrograde I noticed that Clinton would get attacked by the right wing and he would Re-act and he would usually win out over the attack. When its Retrograde you don't want to ACT but you can REACT. Its a great time to fix things that break down but not try and change things that are working. We are coming up to a Mercury Retrograde on the 26th of this month.

[Jimboy17]

05:26 PM on 12/10/2009

This is hardly statistical, nor is it empirical. Have you blind tested the theory using random days with 1000+ subjects?

[Pema]

07:43 AM on 12/11/2009

are you always so negative? must have a pluto square on libra rising

[wm1066]

12:42 PM on 12/11/2009

Here's a test for you, on Dec 26 buy something really expensive or sign a binding agreement and see how it plays out for you in the coming months!

[Jimboy17]

12:12 PM on 12/10/2009

There is no credible evidence that astrology is an effective tool for the prediction of the future. None. If an astrologist does happen to predict an event, when it is compared in a statistically meaningful fashion against other predictive modelling, it is no more or no less successful. This either means that practically anyone can see the future, or that there is nothing in particular special about this process.

What astrology does do is provide an externalization for the participant that allows them to reflect upon their own understandings, knowledge and beliefs systems. If it is anything, it is merely a mirror of the self. However, it is not based on anything more than vague generalizations that people may choose or not choose to apply to themselves.

[Pema]

12:20 PM on 12/10/2009

wait wait wait. mirror of themselves? in many charts astrologers use yes because a chart is nothing but your karma. it isnt to be rationalized down to science. it is art and science. in horary charts one can if one is well nowledged predict quiet alot. i told ones missing bf he would turn up between feb 1-3 months before that due time. he called her on feb 2. my roomates dog went missing. i ran a horary chart and said in 4 days just so of here we will find her. she wil;l be hurt enough to go tot he vet but she will be fine. i see this happening between 1020 am and 1045. well at 1022 we got a call she had been found 3 blocks so of us. at 1029 someone called and said i think i found your dog. when i told my friend she said so we can stop putting up the signs. i said no, we have to keep the karma going in the doggies direction.
there are harmonic charts, diff house system etc. some charts use all planets while others do not . it is quiet refined system to the serious astrologer.

[Jimboy17]

12:27 PM on 12/10/2009

You cannot use your personal experience as a scientifc measure. For all of the correct predictions, how many were incorrect? Further, how many of the predictions you made truly were the result of the system you used, rather than based on your own knowledge and intuition. In order for the system to be scientifically valid, it has to work accross a large population, over a period of time, and more accurately than other predicitve modelling. The problem, as I have outlined it is that there is no effective way of isolating the system from the user. To whit, the user's knowledge and intuition will always play a role because the system is not concrete, but interpretive.

[Pema]

12:21 PM on 12/10/2009

excuse me when i told her the dog would be found she said we could stop...poor placement of sentance sorry for confusion

[Pema]

11:54 AM on 12/10/2009

if people think its hooey, astrologers predicted the stock market fall years in advance. and there will be more in that area. land will be challenged, we will see the issue of emmient domain come up again. some rising tides over taking frail coastal towns. we can see increased problems with things happening to the earth fire flood etc. we will see a spike in divorce rates while the popluation booms. its not all doom and gloom but the fact pluto is flirting back and forth into capricorn brings up transforations in all cappy areas. banks, land, marriage birth rate. for cappies themselves on a personal note can do expceptionaly well in transforming their health, their attitudes, i think cappies are good meditation candidates. so start there and make sure you dont buy in a flood plane....ins your property well folks. and diversify.
dont jump bac intot he market until you feel very secure about it. and are knowledgable about upcoming trends.

[Hirnlego]

05:00 PM on 12/10/2009

Yes, it is nonsense. Let's put them to a test, like James Randi's million dollar challenge..

[Jimboy17]

05:28 PM on 12/10/2009

Well, it is merely objectively nonsensical. If it makes sense subjectively, and it isn't causing harm, then I don't particularly care. My inner bully would like to make everyone think the same as me, but then again, that would mean no more screaming matches with the television and endless diversions here.