Republicans want to ban books about wizards and magic from schools. Millennials just want their horoscopes.

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published 24 October 2017

Sorry, Harry Potter. Humbug, Oz. Room on the Broom? Not on the shelf. According to a new survey of American adults by YouGov, 41 percent of Republicans and 24 percent of Democrats want to ban books about wizardry, witchcraft, and magic from elementary school libraries. The numbers get smaller as the grades get higher, but still, 17 percent of Republicans say those subjects should be verboten in university libraries.

Crazy, right? Meanwhile, "interest in spirituality has been booming in recent years while interest in religion plummets, especially among millennials," Kari Paul reports at MarketWatch, making her case with a combination of surveys and anecdotal evidence. For example, a majority of millennials say (incorrectly) that astrology is a science, according to a 2014 survey by the National Science Foundation, and the psychic services industry, which includes astrology and other metaphysical services, grew 2 percent between 2011 and 2016, to $2 billion a year, IBIS World says. New astrology app Co—Star has seen explosive growth in its first two weeks on the market, and spiritual wares have made it to Urban Outfitters and Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop store.

"Whether it be spell-casting, tarot, astrology, meditation and trance, or herbalism, these traditions offer tangible ways for people to enact change in their lives," Melissa Jayne, owner of Brooklyn "metaphysical boutique" Catland tells MarketWatch. Her store offers workshops including "Witchcraft 101," "Spirit Seance," and "Astrology 101" — things they will not teach you of in college (but will at Hogwarts).

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The YouGov poll was conducted Oct. 16-17 among 1,000 adults surveyed online, and it has a margin of error of ±4.2 percent.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.