Millennials Tune in Digital Audio More Often

Millennials Lead Digital Audio Consumption, Outpacing Gen Z56% of millennials tune into digital audio every day—the highest share of any generation and well ahead of Gen Z at 47%—according to an April report from The Harris Poll and EMARKETER.

This daily listening habit positions millennials as the core audience for audio platforms, challenging the common assumption that younger cohorts dominate emerging media. Rather than a fleeting trend, the data reveals a sustained and growing preference among adults in their late 20s through early 40s.Podcast reach reinforces the millennial strength. 

Edison Research shows that 68% of millennials and Gen Xers aged 35–54 now listen to podcasts, up from 61% a year earlier. In contrast, reach among listeners 34 and younger actually declined over the same period, highlighting a shift toward older segments within the digital audio space.

Music, not talk, drives the daily habit. Across every generation, music playlists consume the largest share of digital audio time. For millennials, music accounts for 55% of listening, rising to 65% among Gen X, far outpacing podcasts and other formats, per the same Harris Poll and EMARKETER survey.