Edison Research and its Share of Ear Study have been tracking listening trends for many years. And one of the latest updates shows promising signs for the spoken word format.
In 2014, 11% of time spent listening by those in the 13-34 demographic was with spoken word audio. In 2024, that figure has risen to 23%, more than doubling in the decade.
In that 2014 portion of the study, it was a disproportionate gap between the 13-34 demographic and the 35-54 and 55+. In those age groups, 22% of time spent listening by 35-54-year-olds was with spoken audio and 26% for those aged 55+. In 2024, those areas have seen slight increases, with the 35-54 demo now spending 28% of its time with spoken word, while 55+ is now at 28%.
With its findings, Edison Research has no ambiguity on what has caused the uptick in spoken word audio listening for those aged 13-34.
“What has been the change agent? Podcasts,” the firm posits. “Young people have embraced this medium that uses spoken word instead of music to speak to their demographic.”
For the Share of Ear Study, Edison counts spoken word content as “news, personalities, talk, and sports, and can be consumed via any audio platform such as radio, streaming, podcasts, and audiobooks.”
