Listeners are consuming more spoken-word audio than before and are increasingly using it in place of screen-based entertainment, according to global research commissioned by Audible and released at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The findings cover how audio works alongside print and digital reading, why people are turning to audio, what drives their choice of titles and how they see the future of audio.
The Future of Listening survey by NielsenIQ looks at spoken-word audio, including audiobooks, podcasts, and scripted and non-scripted audio series. It surveyed 18,000 listeners across 11 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the UK and the US. Overall, 34% said they listened to more audio in the last 12 months than the year before. The share was highest in Brazil (46%) and Mexico (44%), followed by the UK (38%) and the US (35%).
Rachel Ghiazza – Chief Content Officer at Audible, said, “What’s particularly striking about this research is the scale and momentum of audio’s growth. Audio is continuing to play a growing, evolving role in people’s lives. We’re seeing audiences listen more, explore different ways to experience stories and increasingly turn to audio as a means of switching off and recharging. In today’s world, consumers are craving more fulfilling ways to spend their time, and they’re finding that more and more through audio content, particularly as an alternative to screens.
“When we see those behaviors reflected so consistently across a study of this scale, it’s a powerful reminder that audio is no longer simply another form of entertainment – it has become part of how people spend their time well, while creating space to slow down, switch off and look after their wellbeing,” Ghiazza added.
Audio complements traditional print/digital reading
The study found that while global listeners are consuming audio extensively, they’re not looking to it as a sole alternative to traditional print or digital book consumption:
• 61% said they’d read books in print or ebook format that they’d already listened to
• 69% claimed they listened to audiobooks that they’d already read in another format
• 63% had listened to an audiobook by an author, then purchased their titles in print or eBook
• Since starting audiobooks, listeners are also trying new authors (29%), exploring new genres (29%), reading more eBooks (26%), and more paper books (22%)
More people are turning to audio to switch off
The research also highlighted the growing role audio is playing in helping global listeners switch off and step away from screens, as it becomes consistently considered a wellness and self-care activity.
• In nearly every country surveyed, “listening at home to relax” ranked as the top listening occasion, while “feeling relaxed and comforted” was the main emotion evoked by listening to audio
• 51% said that spoken-word audio listening has helped them to intentionally replace screen-time entertainment
• 47% attributed a reduction in their social media usage to audio listening
• Parents said that “screen-free entertainment” is the #1 reason they encourage kids to listen (52% of audio-listening parents say their children listen, too)
Genre and narrator drive title selection
Three key considerations are clearly motivating how listeners choose which titles to listen to:
• Genre remains the single most important factor globally
• Topic / personal interest is #2 in every country surveyed
• Narrator closely follows, with 65% of listeners seeking out more books by a narrator they like
• Social media remains a top destinations for listeners to learn about new content to listen to, especially so in Brazil, Mexico and the U.S.
Listeners are embracing the future of audio
Alongside growing engagement with audio today, the research suggests audiences are open to how the medium could evolve in the future. Meanwhile, audiobook listeners are open to the idea of AI-narrated audio content, particularly when it comes to fiction.
• 50% of respondents said they were now open to listening to or trying out AI-narrated content
• Country-specific reception to AI narration ranged from Germany at 42% to Japan at 66%
• In the majority of countries, consumers were most open to listening to AI-narrated fiction, whereas in Germany and Japan non-fiction content was preferred
• 67% of respondents said they felt excited about the future of spoken-word audio entertainment, with listeners in Brazil, Japan, Italy, Mexico and the US particularly enthusiastic
