87% of Surveyed Millennials and Gen Z Engage in Inner-Development Practices, But Only 31% Talk About It
New data suggests a gap between private practice and public conversation.
November 2025
Methodology
Survey conducted November 2025 via SurveyMonkey Audience (n=303, ±5.7% margin of error). Results reflect self-reported data from U.S. adults ages 18–44 with household incomes of $100,000+. Findings are not intended to be generalized to the broader U.S. population. For clarity, this report uses the term "inner-development practices" as a broad descriptor for approaches that may include breathwork, somatic traditions, energy-related practices, sound-based methods, and other modalities rooted in different cultural backgrounds.
The purpose of this report is to summarize key patterns observed in the survey responses and offer contextual interpretations where relevant.
Human societies evolve not only through public institutions but also through shifts in private inner life. New ways of understanding attention, emotion, and identity often begin privately, long before they surface in shared language or formal systems. The Munay Live Consciousness Survey 2025 suggests that respondents in this study may be experiencing such a moment today.
Within this demographic, 87 percent of respondents indicated participating in at least one inner-development or ancestral practice. Only 31 percent said they discuss these practices openly. The findings suggest a pattern where, among the surveyed group, interest is high but social expression remains limited.
Respondents reported engaging in energy work (41%), breathwork (39%), sound-based practices (34%), divination (23%), and shamanic traditions (23%), among other modalities. These approaches reflect long-standing methods for cultivating inner awareness, drawn from diverse cultural traditions.
Patterns in the data were broadly consistent across age groups within this sample. Respondents in their twenties and thirties reported similar levels of privacy, workplace expectations, and practitioner preferences. This suggests that within this demographic, the pattern is not limited to a particular age subset but may reflect a broader attempt to navigate rapid social transformation by investing in interior development.
Perception and disclosure patterns
When respondents were asked how they believe others view inner-development practices, a third described them as a sign of strength and another third described them as neutral. Only a small fraction anticipated negative reactions. Yet most respondents said they keep some or most of their practices private.
This combination of high engagement and low disclosure often appears in early stages of cultural change, when private experimentation grows faster than public frameworks. Whether this pattern reflects a broader societal tendency remains unknown; within the surveyed group, however, the gap is pronounced.
Qualitative practitioner insights (separate from survey data)
In separate onboarding conversations conducted by Munay Live, some practitioners reported losing friends or family connections after deepening their work. These accounts are qualitative and fall outside the survey dataset. They are included to illustrate how personal and unspoken the journey may feel, even among those who perceive these practices positively.
Barriers to access
The broader landscape appears fragmented. The survey revealed two distinct barriers among respondents. Twenty-eight percent said they need support but don't know which modality to pursue, pointing to a guidance gap. Seventeen percent said they don't know where to find practitioners they trust, revealing a discovery gap. Eighteen percent cited cost or time as barriers.
Among respondents in this study, navigating the landscape, knowing where to begin and whom to trust, was the most frequently cited challenge. Cost was the least cited concern.
Historical patterns in philosophy, psychology, and spiritual life suggest that periods of exploration often precede more structured forms of understanding. Individuals experiment widely before shared norms or stable institutions emerge. Whether the tendencies within this sample reflect an early phase of a broader pattern is interpretive, not predictive.
What respondents value
When selecting practitioners or guides, respondents prioritized trust. Twenty-five percent relied on personal referrals, 24 percent emphasized lineage or training, 22 percent sought trusted platforms, and 19 percent turned to reviews. Taken together, more than 70 percent relied on signals of legitimacy rather than price. Price was cited least.
This pattern loosely resembles the early phases of developing professions, when credibility depended on training and reputation before standardized oversight structures were formalized. This comparison is included as interpretive context rather than direct equivalence.
Interest in integration
One of the clearest findings in the survey is the desire for synthesis. Eighty-nine percent of respondents said that integrating traditional wisdom with modern understanding is important to them. This reflects respondent preference and does not imply scientific validation of traditional practices. Instead, it suggests that respondents want explanations that honor the depth of older traditions while engaging with contemporary knowledge systems.
Historical precedents include the blending of classical philosophy and religious thought in late antiquity and the integration of contemplative practices into modern psychology. These comparisons are included as interpretive context rather than direct equivalence.
Social media and booking behavior
Social media influences exposure but not decisions. Seventy percent of respondents engage with inner-development content online, yet 92 percent have never booked a practitioner through those platforms. Respondents appear to distinguish between public information streams and private choices about personal exploration.
Context
Several contemporary pressures may help explain why interior engagement appears to be rising among this demographic. Respondents exist within a cultural backdrop of informational saturation, institutional uncertainty, and rapid technological acceleration. The survey does not measure these factors directly, and no causal claims are made.
Viewed through a historical lens, the data loosely resembles early indicators of broader cultural shifts. Private practices often precede shared narratives. The transcendentalist movement of the nineteenth century and the human potential movement of the 1960s and 1970s both began as scattered personal explorations that later shaped public conversations about meaning and self-understanding. This resemblance is interpretive, not predictive. Whether the tendencies observed in this survey will develop into broader cultural frameworks or new institutions remains to be seen.
Conclusion
The survey portrays a sample engaged in significant private exploration. Many respondents appear to be searching for coherence in a landscape that offers abundant options but little structure.
Because these findings are based on self-reported behaviors within a specific demographic, they should be read as indicators of emerging tendencies rather than definitive measures of national behavior. The data captures a moment rather than a conclusion.
Disclaimer
Practitioners featured on Munay Live are independent service providers. Lineage and training descriptions are provided directly by practitioners. These practices are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical or psychological condition. Individuals seeking medical or mental health support should consult licensed healthcare providers.
About Munay Live
Munay Live is a platform where people can explore practices rooted in different cultural backgrounds and connect with practitioners from diverse lineages. Practitioners present their lineage and training transparently. For more information, visit munay.live.
Chakaruna