US adult audiobook consumption on the rise

In the US, audiobooks are on the rise, according to a recent survey conducted by Pew Research.

While the reading habits of Americans have remained relatively unchanged over the past few years in most respects, the percentage of people who say they have listened to an audiobook in the last 12 months has increased steadily. In 2019 20% of US adults reported listening to an audiobook in the last 12 months, up from 14% in 2016 and 11% in 2011, when Pew first began conducting surveys of Americans’ book reading habits.

According to the survey, university students and adults with high incomes are especially likely to consume books in different formats, with 34% of students listening to an audiobook compared to 27% in 2018, and the proportion of adults in higher income households increasing from 23% to 30% in the same period.

Compared to the 72% of adults that have read a book in any format, print books are still overwhelmingly the most popular format, with 65% of US adults reporting say they have read a print book in the past 12 months.

Interestingly, while book reading among other demographic groups has increased since 2018, the number of men who reported reading a book in the past 12 months is down to 67%, compared with 73% in 2018.

Category: International news