Discover the latest spoken-word audio statistics in our roundup. This data will help you get to grips with listener habits and demographics, so you can build an effective audio content strategy for 2022.
74% of listeners consume audio during their daily rituals
40% of listeners plan their day and activities around audio content⁴⁰
Digital audio listening experiences have a stronger impact on the brain than radio listening experiences: +25% emotional intensity, +28% detail memory, +25% global memory, and +23% engagement
47% of Americans pay for an audio subscription
The average US adult listens to digital audio for 1 hour 34 minutes a day
Spoken-word audio accounts for 28% of digital listening
73% of over-12s in the US (approximately 209 million people) listened to online audio in the past month (2022):
87% of 12 to 34-year-olds
81% of 35 to 54-year-olds
52% of 55 and overs
67% of over-12s (approximately 192 million people) in the US listened to online audio in the last week
71% of over-12s in Australia listened to online audio in the last week, listening for an average 13 hours and 31 minutes
Listened to online audio in the past month (2021):
UK (16+), 75%
Australia (15+), 73%
Canada (18+), 71%
South Africa (15+), 61%
Listened to online audio in the past week (2021):
UK (16+), 66%
Australia (15+), 66%
Canada (18+), 61%
South Africa (15+), 52% - listening for an average of 6 hours and 20 minutes
Audio hardware statistics
The number of smartphone subscriptions worldwide increased by 71% from 2017 to 2021, to 6.3 billion
Global annual headphone sales increased by 51% from 2016 to 2021, to 1.3 billion
35% of over-12s in the US own a smart speaker (2022)
Who listens to spoken-word audio?
75% of the 18+ US population listens to spoken-word audio each month
The average over-13 in the US listens to 1 hour and 4 minutes of spoken-word audio every day
46% of the 13+ US population listen to spoken-word audio daily:
They listen to an average of 2 hours 19 minutes every day
They spend more time with spoken-word audio than with music (51% vs 49%)
Share of US digital listening time spent listening to spoken-word audio (as opposed to music)
In 2022:
Total: 29%
On a mobile device: 34%
By age: 13 to 34 (26%), 35 to 54 (30%), 55 and over (32%)
In 2021:
By gender: Men (32%), women (24%)
By ethnic group: White/other (29%), African-American (22%), Hispanic/Latino (27%)
51% of US spoken-word audio listeners reported listening more in 2021 than they did five years previously
Why do people listen to spoken-word audio?
Monthly listeners cite the following reasons for listening to spoken-word audio:
the ability to multitask (71% - the most popular reason)
it allows them to process information more efficiently (60%)
they like listening more than reading (56%)
they need to stay informed (52%)
Among this audience:
58% say spoken-word audio is a productive use of their time
54% say spoken-word audio engages their mind in a more positive way than other media
45% say spoken-word audio is becoming a more important part of their life
How and where do people listen to spoken-word audio?
48% in the US listen via AM/FM radio, 22% via podcasts, 10% via audiobooks, 20% via other platforms
47% in the US listen on an AM/FM radio receiver, 31% on a mobile device, 9% on a computer, 4% on a smart speaker, 9% on another device
54% in the US listen at home, 30% in the car, 13% at work, and 3% elsewhere
Searching the internet is the most common way for US listeners to discover new spoken-audio content, with 59% having done so
49% of US spoken-word audio listeners listen exclusively alone, while 51% sometimes listen with others
News audio publishing statistics
80% of news leaders will put more resource into podcasts and digital audio in 2022
The most popular spoken-word audio topic in the US is news/information, with 56% of listeners having consumed this type of content
40% of spoken-word audio time in the US is spent listening to news or information
News podcasts make up...