Podcasts Credited With Increase In Spoken Word Consumption

Thanks to Podcasts, the increase in spoken word audio content consumption among the 13-34 age group has seen significant growth. 

According to Edison Research, this demographic now spends 23% of their daily audio time with spoken word content, compared to just 11% a decade ago.

This change is largely driven by the rise of podcasts, which have become incredibly popular among younger audiences. The variety and accessibility of spoken word content across different platforms—like radio, streaming services, and audiobooks—also contribute to this trend

When compared to 2014 data and you can see the disparity between listeners age 13-34 and older demographics when it comes to share of time spent with spoken word audio. Those age 13-34 were separated from those age 35-54 by 11 percentage points and separated from those age 55+ by 15 percentage points.

 A decade later, the 13-34s have closed the share gap significantly to only five percentage points.