Regardless of the reason, many people feel the need to seek out the future. Most people are content with not knowing what's going to happen to them or other people. They understand that life has an element of chance from waking up in the morning to getting onto a plane and have no problem leaving the fates alone.
What causes a person to seek out those who perceive the future. They spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to find out answers that they will eventually know anyway. There are three main reasons: fear, curiosity and confidence. Charlatans realize this and use it to their advantage, letting clients hear what they want.
When someone asks if “Fred” is the love of her life, it's obvious she wants “Fred” to be the love of her life. This is an example of confidence. They already know or believe the answer, but just want some reassurance from a person.
Curiosity comes from those that don't have a stake in the answer, but are curious about future prediction. These people typically ask about global events, sports games, etc. The answers don't relate directly to them, but they can keep an eye on the news to gauge how right the medium is.
Fear is the most powerful of the reasons. A person's fear can cause them to make rash and illogical decisions such as give a lot of money. These people often ask about death or some other major matter because they are afraid of what might happen. “Will I beat the cancer?” “Will my daughter survive childbirth.”