New Data on the Adoption, Use of Smart Speakers in the U.S. Published; Spoken Word Audio Listening up 20% From 2014
From National Public Radio and Edison Research:
New data from the latest installment of The Smart Audio Report (Winter 2020) from NPR and Edison Research confirms that smart speaker adoption continues to grow in the U.S. with 60M adults A18+ (24% of the population) now owning a smart speaker. And with spoken word audio listening up 20% from 2014, cutting into time spent with music, it’s clear the audio landscape is changing dramatically – driven by technology advancements and content preferences alike.
Key findings from the survey include:
- 54% of the U.S. population have ever used voice-command technology
- Of those who use voice commands, 24% use voice commands nearly every day
- The average smart speaker household now features 2.6 devices, up from 2.3 devices per household at the same time last year.
Direct to Full Text Report
17 pages; PDF.
Filed under: Data Files, News

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.