Young Americans consume the most audio daily according to the latest Share of Ear research by Edison. But every generation is spending meaningful time consuming audio content.
What We Know: Edison Research’s Q1 2026 Share of Ear data confirms audio remains a daily habit across all age groups. Adults 18+ averaged three hours and 54 minutes per day in Q4 2025. Moreover, 13–34 year-olds outpace that demographic by more than 30 minutes. A strong signal that younger audiences aren’t abandoning audio, just finding it in more places. Instead, they’re consuming more of it, likely driven by podcast growth and streaming platforms.
What The Numbers Show: (includes consumption of AM/FM Radio and radio streams, streaming music, music videos on YouTube, podcasts (including video podcasts), SiriusXM, owned music, audiobooks, and TV music channels per Edison)
What Remains Unclear: It’s still unknown whether the 13–34 demographic’s elevated consumption will sustain long-term or shift further toward on-demand platforms. Furthermore, the data doesn’t yet reveal whether podcast growth among younger listeners is pulling from AM/FM time or expanding overall audio consumption. That distinction matters greatly for broadcasters.
What It Means: Audio is still a desired medium among the younger demographics. Albeit the platforms younger generations are evolving to are video distribution platforms. Edison isn’t differentiating video from audio with these findings. Would you consider a podcast that’s video first as audio? Have music videos ever been considered audio? According to the research, YouTube music videos ranked at 14% amongst persons 18+. Should the be considered audio or video consumption? Or both? Judging from the research, Edison considers it audio first despite being on a visual platform. The positives are 33% of respondents 18+ says all their audio time in from AM/FM Radio. This means the car is still a vital piece of radio’s business model. AM/FM holds 54% of total in-car audio time and 83% of in-car ad-supported audio among persons 18+.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
