Audio Consumption: Millennials, Gen Z Lead The Way

According to a new study, millennials and Gen Z listen to the most audio, clocking in at more than 18 hours per week (2.6 hours or more each day). The average for all ages is 17.2 hours per week listening to a variety of audio, including broadcast radio, streaming music, podcasts and more.

The study, released by Ipsos and commissioned by iHeartMedia, found that podcasts represent nearly 10 percent of audio listening among millennials and that 82 percent of podcast listeners also listen to radio on a weekly basis. The study found that radio continues to be the top audio choice for Gen Z, and that podcasts are replacing online video as a popular choice for many during work and school hours. The popularity of smart speakers also continues, as study participants with smart speakers at home spent 47 percent more time listening to radio during prime hours (8-10 p.m.) than listeners without smart speakers.

The study also found that 65 percent of audio listening is done outside the home, most often in the car. The study found that radio accounts for 65 percent of in-vehicle audio listening. On a weekly basis, broadcast radio reaches 85 percent of consumers, and that radio has twice the daily listening reach of streaming, reaching 69 percent of consumers vs. streaming music’s 34 percent reach.

“Audio is hot right now and a must for marketers looking to reach increasingly elusive and fractured audiences. If you look at the data, it’s undeniable that consumers are listening more and watching less and this study outlines when, where and why,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc. “Contrary to some misperceptions, it shows we are living in an audio-first world by drilling down a more granular overview of audio listenership and showing what a day-in-the-life of the average listener is like when it comes to media consumption.”

The study, conducted in March 2019, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 6,016 consumers aged 13–64 who listen to 1+ audio platform at least once a week.