US listeners start their audio day later during the COVID-19 pandemic swapping Drivetime for Hometime listening. These findings are from Share of Ear Q2 reports from Edison Research and represent the results of interviews conducted mid-May 2020. New data from the study, conducted during the period of COVID-19 disruptions, shows that people in the US age 13 and older began listening to audio a full 75 minutes later on average, as compared to before the disruptions.
The Share of Ear study, which requires respondents to keep a detailed daily diary of audio usage, shows that pre-COVID-19, the point in the day when 50% of those in the US age 13+ recorded their first entry of their audio day was around 7:15am. During Q2 it was not until 8:30am that half of respondents had recorded any audio usage.
Laura Ivey, Edison Research Director, said “This finding challenges our thinking about how those in the U.S. listen to audio during traditional drive times. With many people staying at home or working from home during Q2, they did not engage with audio as early as they did pre-COVID. This data shows that if Americans continue current work patterns, audio strategies may need to be adjusted.”
