Meditation is an increasingly popular health and wellness practice in the United States.
Quite a few Americans meditate regularly, and the practice has been shown to offer a host of benefits, including stress reduction, increased focus, concentration, and improved sleep!
We polled 1,373 American adults asking them one question: “Do you practice meditation, at least, once a week?”
Here is what we learned…
Key Findings
- The number of people who responded to the survey was 1,373
- The percentage of people who said they practiced meditation at least once a week was 17.1%
- The percentage of people who said they did not practice meditation at least once a week was 82.9%
- The 18-24 age group reported the highest meditation percentage: 41.1%
- The 35-44 age group reported the lowest meditation percentage: 15.3%
- The 44-54 recorded the second lowest meditation percentage: 15.8%
Meditation Based on Secondary Sources
- According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), the number of adults in the United States (U.S.) who practiced meditation increased from 3.1% in 2012 to 4.1% in 2017.
- In a survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults, it was found that 14.2% had tried meditation at some point in their lives, while 9.9% had practiced meditation in the past 12 months (National Health Interview Survey, 2017).
- A survey of 3,500 U.S. adults found that the number of people who meditated grew from 4.1% in 2012 to 8.0% in 2017, with the largest increases among 18- to 34-year-olds and those with higher incomes.
- According to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which included questions on the use of complementary health approaches by adults in the United States, the percentage of adults who used meditation increased from 3.1% in 2012 to 4.1% in 2017.
- In addition, the use of meditation among adults was highest among those aged 18–34 years (6.9%) and 35–49 years (5.8%).
Gender assessment
Based on our report, and from a gender point of view, we observed that:
- 23.7% of males practice meditation at least once a week
- 18.2% of females practice meditation at least once a week
Inference
Thus, even though the number of females practicing meditation is lesser than that of males, the difference isn’t significant.
From this, we can say that both genders are pretty equally interested in meditation.
However, it is notable that the number of males practicing meditation is higher than the number of females, though not by a lot.
This could be due to the fact that traditionally, meditation has been seen as a more ‘spiritual’ activity, and thus more attractive to males.
In recent years however, with the rise of mindfulness and other practices, meditation has become more mainstream, and thus more females are now interested in it.
It is also interesting to note that the number of people who practice meditation at least once a week is relatively high.
This could be due to the fact that more and more people are now aware of the benefits of meditation, and are thus more likely to make it a part of their weekly routine.
Meditation By Age-Group
According to our study, the following was observed based on the age group of people who meditate:
- 41.1% of people aged 18-24 practice meditation at least once a week
- At 41.1%, the 18-24 age group has the highest number of people who meditate
- The 25-34 age group has the second highest population of people who meditate at least once a week: 27.6%
- The 55-64 and 65+ age groups show some level of similarity in the number of people who meditate at least once a week with 16.0% and 16.3% respectively
- The 35-44, and 45-54 age groups have the lowest population of meditators at 15.3% and 15.8% respectively.
Inference
From our analysis, it can be said that people aged 18-24 and 25-34 are the most likely to meditate at least once a week.
This could be due to a number of reasons, including but not limited to the fact that this age group is generally more health conscious than older age groups.
Additionally, this age group is generally more open to new experiences and willing to try things that may be out of the norm.
Meditation By Region
Our report also looked at the popularity of meditation by region in the US. We observed the following:
- The Northeast has the highest number of people who meditate at least once a week, with 23.8%
- The west has the second highest number of people who meditate at least once a week, with 22.3%
- The South has the third highest population of meditators, with 20.4%
- The Midwest has the lowest number of people who meditate at least once a week, with 18.4%
Inference
From the above data, it can be said that people in the Northeast and West are more likely to meditate at least once a week than people in the South and Midwest.
This could be due to a number of reasons, including but not limited to differences in regional cultures.
For example, the Northeast is generally more open to new experiences and trends than the Midwest.
Additionally, the West has a long history of Eastern philosophies and religions, which may make people in this region more open to meditation.
How accurate is our report compared to the official data?
Our data reflects the official data to a certain extent. For example, according to our data, the Northeast has the highest number of people who meditate at least once a week, with 23.8%. This is in line with the official data, which states that the Northeast has the highest concentration of people who practice meditation.
However, there are some discrepancies between our data and the official data.
For example, according to our data, 41.1% of people aged 18-24 practice meditation at least once a week.
However, the official data states that the 18-24 age group has the second highest number of people who meditate. It is possible that these discrepancies are due to differences in methodology or sample size.
Methodology
We polled 1,373 Americans via an online survey. The survey was solely based on voluntary responses with no incentive to participate.
Respondents were asked a series of questions regarding their age, gender, region, and whether or not they meditated at least once a week.
The data was then analyzed to see if there were any trends or correlations.
