‘Audio is healing’ & other insights from Spotify’s Culture Next Report

Spotify has released the third volume of its Culture Next annual culture and trends report, with this year’s study placing an emphasis on Millennials and Gen Z’s response to the pandemic and the role of digital audio in their lives.

Designed as a resource for advertisers to gain audience segmentation insights, the Culture Next report showcases the similarities and differences in how Millennials and Gen Z are “engaging with and driving culture”, as well as “the best ways for marketers to use digital audio to thoughtfully connect with them”.

The report is comprised of qualitative, quantitative, and first-party data collected from 9,000 young respondents in April 2021, and is backed up by interviews with advertising executives, podcasters, artists and listeners from 16 countries.

Among the big takeaways from the report are that 44% of millennials and 48% of Gen Zs believe that they have become part of a global community from digital audio, specifically in the form of music and podcasts.

Similarly, 56% of Millennials and 53% of Gen Zs have used music as a way to learn about cultures and experiences that differ from their own, with 65% of both groups believing that streaming platforms have significantly shaped how they connect with culture.

76% of Millennials and Gen Zs also agree that they use audio to reduce stress levels, with 75% of Millennials believing it can be a mental health resource and 76% of Gen Z agreeing that audio is healing.

Spotify’s Culture Next findings also show that 36% of Millennials and Gen Zs trust podcasts more than contemporary media channels, with 60% of Millennials and 58% of Gen Zs agreeing that podcast hosts ‘sometimes feel like a friend’.

The report also finds that the average podcast listenership in Australia increased 61% among Millennials and 51% among Gen Zs, particularly in categories such as mental health, self-help and spirituality, with 66% of Millennials and 63% of Gen Zs believing that they’re building a ‘better normal’ out of the pandemic.

The report also found that the most-streamed song of 2021 among Gen Zs and Millennials was Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Driver’s License’, with Masked Wolf, Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, Dua Lipa and The Weeknd also appearing in the list.

Spotify’s Culture Next 2021 report can be accessed in its entirety here.