Gen Z most interested in faith economy: Survey

Gen Z – those aged between 12 and 27 –  show the most interest in “Mutelu” or belief-related topics on social media compared to other generations, a survey by Zanroo, a social media data expert, has revealed.

Derived from the Indonesian horror film “Mutelu: Occult War”, the term “Mutelu” encompasses a wide range of belief-related topics, products and services, from amulets and talismans to fortune-telling and faith tourism.

This fusion of Buddhist, Brahmanist, animist, and occult beliefs has become a powerhouse in Thailand's economy in recent years.

Zanroo said that it has been using social listening tools to survey public interest online from January 1 to September 16, and found that there have been some 3.91 billion engagements related to Mutelu topics in Thailand.

94.5% of these social media engagements came from TikTok, while 4.6% from Youtube. Facebook, X and Instagram contributed miniscule percentages of 0.4, 0.3 and 0.2, respectively.

Some 190 million engagements have expressed positive opinions about the so-called faith economy, said Zanroo, adding that about 4.8 million engagements are negative, mostly involving scams based on people’s religious and supernatural beliefs.

The survey found that about 50% of Mutelu engagements came from Gen Z, with popular topics including fortune telling, make-up and fashion to increase one’s luck, and products and services that help one find a soulmate.

Gen Y (age 28-43 years) contributed around 26% of faith-related engagements, with popular topics focusing on faith traveling and visiting temples, as well as amulet collection and trading.

Lastly, Gen X (age 44-59 years), were responsible for 12% of engagements. People in this group are interested in visiting temples, Feng Shui (Chinese geomancy), and searching for “lucky numbers” to buy lottery tickets.