Vibes and signs guide Americans’ major life choices

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

ARE YOU MAKING BIG DECISIONS BASED ON GUT FEELINGS, PRAYER OR JUST ‘PURE VIBES’?

ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY FROM LIFE HAPPENS, SEVEN IN 10 AMERICAN ADULTS BASE THEIR BIG DECISIONS ON SOME SORT OF FACTOR, RANGING FROM THEIR INTUITIONS (36%), PRAYERS (29%) AND GENERAL VIBES (19%).

TWO IN FIVE GEN Z (22%) BASED THESE CHOICES ON SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS AND A SIMILAR NUMBER OF MILLENNIALS (17%) SAID IT WAS DUE TO COSMIC SIGNS FROM THE UNIVERSE.

CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH THE SURVEY REVEALED THAT FOLLOWING THESE HOLISTIC SIGNS HAVE HELPED THEM CHOOSE NEW JOBS (32%), DECIDE WHERE TO MOVE (26%) AND WHEN TO END A RELATIONSHIP (26%). 

OTHERS’ DECISIONS RANGE FROM WHEN TO QUIT AN OLD JOB (24%), WHEN TO GET A PET (21%) OR EVEN WHAT TO INVEST THEIR MONEY IN (20%).

SO HOW ABOUT YOU? DO YOU JUST FOLLOW YOUR GUT? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 American adults split evenly by generation (500 Gen Z, 500 millennials, 500 Gen X and 500 baby boomers); the survey was commissioned by Life Happens and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between July 17 and July 23, 2025.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.