Young listeners’ embrace of Spotify and podcasts drives digital audio consumption

In the US, 67.3% of consumers overall and 74.7% of internet users will listen to digital audio at least once a month in 2025.

Adult listeners will spend an average of 1 hour and 25 minutes a day with digital audio this year. These numbers will all continue to grow steadily due to ease of access through smart appliances and phones, the increasing popularity and availability of podcasts and audiobooks, and the digitization of AM/FM radio.

Gen Zers are the biggest digital audio consumers

Ninety percent of internet users ages 16 to 24 listen to digital audio. The rate of digital audio adoption is highest among younger listeners under 25, exceeding radio by nearly 26 percentage points, according to August 2024 data from GWI. They are used to instant access to favored content and gravitate toward digital audio’s convenience, adaptability, and customization.

Adult Gen Zers are the most likely to listen solely to ad-free digital audio. This is the case for 33% of listeners ages 18 to 24 and 25% of those ages 25 to 44, according to CivicScience. Whether they pay for their subscriptions or use a shared family account, one-third of Gen Zers are not hearing ads unless they’re listening to podcasts.

Read the full report, Digital Audio Listener Demographics 2025.