According to a survey of 2020, more women than men listened to music every day in their free time. As reported by the data, 38 percent of female respondents claimed to listened to music every day. By contrast, 35 percent of men did the same as of the survey period. Moreover, 13 percent of female interviewees said to never listen to music in their free time. Conversely, 10 percent of male respondents claimed to do not listen to music at all as of 2020.

Adults listen to an average of 20.7 hours of music per week, according to a study conducted across 26 countries. Numerous studies indicate that listening to music can have beneficial effects on cognitive performance and emotional well-being. Music listening habits may vary depending on individual needs and listening contexts. However, a limited number of studies have specifically examined the patterns of background music usage during various more or less cognitive activities, especially among individuals with attentional difficulties related to ADHD. This study primarily aimed to compare music listening habits during daily activities that are more and less cognitive (e.g., studying, problem-solving versus cleaning, engaging in sports) between neurotypical young adults and those screened for ADHD (respondents who were identified as likely having ADHD based on the number of self-reported symptoms). To achieve this, 434 young adults aged 17 to 30 responded to an online survey. The results indicate that certain listening habits differ significantly between the neurotypical and ADHD-screened groups. The ADHD-screened group reports significantly more background music listening during less cognitive activities and while studying, compared to the neurotypical group. The results also reveal a difference in the proportion of individuals preferring stimulating music between the groups: ADHD-screened individuals report significantly more frequent listening to stimulating music, regardless of the activity type (more or less cognitive). Other aspects of music listening are common to both groups. Regardless of the group, more respondents reported preferring to listen to relaxing, instrumental, familiar and self-chosen music during more cognitive activities, whereas for less cognitive activities, more individuals mentioned preferring to listen to music that is stimulating, with lyrics, familiar and self-chosen. Overall, the results confirm that most young adults listen to music during their daily activities and perceive positive effects from this listening.

In Sweden, listening to music on the internet was more common for younger age groups than for older people. A survey from the third quarter of 2020 found that over three quarters of respondents aged 16 to 25 years daily used music streaming services, like Spotify and Apple Music. The corresponding figure for the age group 76 years and older amounted to only one percent. 69 percent even stated that they never listened to music online.

According to survey results from 2024, the most popular music listening device in Finland was the car radio. Roughly 60 percent of the respondents said that they use car radio for music listening daily. The second most popular device choice among Finns was the mobile phone (53 percent), followed by computer (24 percent).

According to the survey from 2019, around 72 percent of respondents in Finland listened to music less than an hour per day. The share of people who spent one to two hours a day listening to music increased from the previous year. At the same time, eight percent of respondents listened to music more than two hours on an average day.

The most common music listening location among Gen Z and Millennial adults in the United States was revealed to be the home, though 82 percent of Gen Z respondents and 76 percent of Millennials also reported listening to music in a car. The home and the car were also the most popular listening locations among adults aged 35 or above, though listening to music on public transport, at the gym, or at music venues was less popular among older adults.  

How is music consumption affected by the generation of the listener? 

Gen Z and Millennial consumers tend to be more digitally focused than their older counterparts. Whilst Millennials are generally acknowledged as being digital natives, Gen Z is more focused on mobile devices, but in both cases it is clear that the ability to consume media on the go is important. Equally, genre preferences are affected by age, and not necessarily in ways one might expect. 

For example, a survey held in July 2018 revealed that older generations are generally much more likely than younger listeners to enjoy classic rock - not surprising, given that the genre is aligned with music produced between the 1960s and 1990s. However, the data also showed that respondents aged 16 to 19 years old and adults aged 65 or above had something unexpected in common. Listeners in these age categories were similarly likely to name show music and musicals as their favorites, whereas adults aged 25 to 64 years old had little interest in such music. 

When it comes to how Americans listen to music, regardless of genre, habits and preferences also differ with age. The majority of younger music fans’ listening time is dedicated to Spotify, whereas older adults prefer to stream their music via Amazon Prime Music and YouTube.

This statistic shows the results of a survey on how frequently respondents listened to music in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018. According to Deezer, the majority of British adults listened to music on a daily basis. Close to 30 percent stated to listen to music most days.

According to a survey from 2020, roughly 60 percent of respondents aged between 18 and 24 years listened to music every day in their free time. Similarly, 54 percent of interviewees aged between 25 and 34 years claimed to do the same. On the contrary, only 13 percent of people aged 65 years and older listened to music every day in their free time. In fact, 20 percent of individuals within this age group did not listen to music at all.

According to a recent survey, only 15 percent of the interviewed Turkish people listened to broadcast radio or music on digital platforms daily. In comparison, 58 percent of the respondents did not listen to radio or digital music at all in the past week.

According to a survey from 2019, 16 to 24-year-old Norwegians spent most time on listening to audio media, at on average 105 minutes per day. People aged 67 to 79 years spent only nine minutes per day on listening to media, such as CDs, vinyl, or streaming and downloading services.

This statistic shows the results of a survey about the average daily time spent on listening to music in South Korea in 2017, by weekday/weekend. In 2017, the average time spent on listening to music on the weekends amounted to 79.8 minutes.

This statistic displays the results of a survey about the time spent listening to Spotify and Apple Music daily across Australia in 2017, by age group. During the survey period, respondents aged between 18 and 24 years old listened to Spotify for on average 45 minutes daily.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2024, around 48 percent of respondents stated that they listen to music almost every day. Only about 14 percent of respondents listened to music less frequently than once a week.

The audio streaming service Spotify in Sweden is most popular among younger age groups. According to a survey conducted in 2019, 37 percent of the 16 to 25-year-olds listened to music or other audio content via this platform several times a day. The older the Swedes are, the less they use Spotify. Only three percent of respondents aged 76 years and older stated to have listened to Spotify content on a daily basis.

Spotify is the worldwide most popular online music service

Spotify is the music streaming service with the highest number of subscribers worldwide. In the first half of 2018, the share accounted for more than a third of all music on demand subscriptions. In the first quarter of 2019, Spotify recorded 100 million premium subscribers. Apple Music and Amazon Music are other popular global audio streaming platforms.

Spotify in Sweden

A survey from 2017 found that the most used digital music service in Sweden was Spotify. 64 percent of respondents stated to have listened to the content in the past twelve months. YouTube was the second most popular online audio platform in the country, according to 60 percent of individuals interviewed.

This statistic shows the frequency of exploring music outside of favorite genres among music listeners in the United States as of May 2018. According to a survey by Deezer, 18.8 percent of respondents stated that they sought out music that was new to them on a daily basis, and 6.4 percent said that they never actively looked for new music outside their favorite genre.

When it comes to share of Americans who listened to rock / alternative / indie music on the radio, 36 percent of 18 - 29 year olds do so in the U.S. This is according to exclusive insights from the Consumer Insights Global survey which shows that 43 percent of 30 - 49 year old consumers also fall into this category.Statista Consumer Insights offer you all results of our exclusive Statista surveys, based on more than 2,000,000 interviews.

According to a survey conducted in Japan in October 2022, 41.9 percent of the respondents listened to music on an almost daily basis. The combined share of respondents who listened to music at least once per week amounted to 83.9 percent.

According to a September 2022 study of iOS users in the United States, women spent approximately 30 hours per month streaming music on Spotify. In comparison, men spent around 33 hours on monthly basis using the media player app Musi to listen to audio content either on screen or in the background.

According to a 2023 survey, ** percent of 18 to 24 year-olds and 40 percent of 25 to 34 year-olds in the United States said they enjoyed streaming music and podcast content. The age group which enjoyed the audio content the least was 55 years and older, with ** percent of U.S. respondents saying they enjoyed listening to online music or podcasts.

According to a 2024 survey conducted across 28 countries, over 51 percent of respondents stated that the genre K-pop was “very popular” in their country. The popularity was at the point where K-pop was known to the general public and related products were being sold. The survey found that the popularity of K-pop reaches far beyond South Korean borders. K-pop industryK-pop is a genre of South Korean popular music. Although the term includes music of a variety of stylistic origins, it is often associated with so-called K-pop idols. Idols are usually young individuals, who are known for being good-looking, fashionable, highly trained in singing and dancing, as well as having an almost perfect image. They often make their debut in boy or girl groups, who promote their songs with music videos that feature intense choreographies. The most successful groups are often signed under South Koreas biggest agencies, were they undertake strict training before they make their debut. The K-pop entertainment company with the highest sales revenue in 2024 was HYBE, who manage multiple successful idols and labels, including global stars BTS. K-pop is constantly growingWhile the majority in Western countries have not heard about K-pop before PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ in 2012, Korean pop idols started to become famous in Asian countries in 2003. Singer BoA and boy group TVXQ became the first K-pop idols to successfully break into the Japanese market. With the support of the South Korean government, who saw the industries economic potential, the so-called Korean wave (hallyu) started to spread even further, and K-pop gained a global audience. Girl group BLACKPINK was the first K-pop band to headline the famous U.S. music festival Coachella in 2019. With BTS currently on hiatus due to military obligations, and album sales exploding, SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids have pulled ahead to become the biggest active boy groups in South Korea currently.