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News

Survey: Gen Z Consumes the Most Media Daily Compared to Other Generations

By:
Karen Sibayan
Published Date:
Nov 11, 2024

 

According to a recent survey by Talker Research,  Gen Z diverges from the rest regarding how and through what medium they consume media, among other findings.

The "Media Consumption Trend Report" report said that the media is no longer the homogenous monolith it was previously. Since technology accelerated progress through the digital age, society has been forced to adapt. One change is that streaming platforms have increased in popularity over cable TV, and the rampant growth of short-form social media content looks to topple it. Younger generations are driving the trajectory that media will take soon. Gen Z is at the center of this evolution and propelling the change. 

The national survey of 2,000 Americans examines how these trends are progressing and what media consumption looks like from a generational perspective. The survey found that Gen Z consumes the most media daily by generation, with an average of 6.6 hours per day. Gen Zers are also the most likely to consume 15 or more hours of media daily (11%). Millennials consumed 6.3 hours per day and were second most likely to consume 15 or more hours of media daily. According to the report, this trend went downward as the survey participants got older.

The report pointed out that media consumption is not free as the average respondent spends roughly $67 per month ($66.60) on streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, social media services including Twitch subscriptions and YouTube Premium and audio services including Spotify and Apple Music. This means an $800 bill yearly.

Gen Z was also the top generation regarding how much each generation spends on media services each month. This group spends close to $100 monthly ($97.70). Silent generation Americans, born between 1928 and 1945, spent the least, at just $24.30 per month.

Further, Gen Z is open to paying more than what they are already paying to consume media. As of Aug. 2024, most streaming services offer a plan for $9 or less as their “with ads” package. However, to get an ad-free experience,
most services cost $12 or more. Streaming services also raise their monthly price yearly.

According to the survey's respondents, If their favorite streaming service raised its subscription price by 10% in the following year, 33% of respondents would not continue to subscribe. However, 40% would continue, and 28% are unsure.

Under this scenario, Gen Z is the most likely to continue subscribing despite the price hike (51%), and millennials are the second most likely (47%). Silent generation respondents were the most likely not to continue subscribing (41%).

Another trend the report highlighted was that, given the rise of smartphones, podcasts and live streaming, there are now countless ways to stay connected. However, television is still the king when it comes to how people consume media, a trend that has no end in sight. Respondents project that 43% of their time spent consuming media is still through television, with phones coming in second place, with a 22.5% share.

However, once again, the generation that goes against this trend is Gen Z, who gets most of their media consumption through their phone (31.6%). This shows that phones and personal devices might soon dislodge TV as the main way people consume data, the report said.