SiriusXM Canada has undertaken a new study on how Canadian commuters are engaging with audio as many workers return to the office and settle back into routines.
The study was conducted from Sept. 15-17, amongst a representative sample of 1,504 Canadians, 18+, who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.
According to the study, the majority of commuters – nearly nine in 10 or 85% – are turning to some form of audio entertainment, with the same number of respondents stating that audio entertainment makes their commute more enjoyable, and 73% agreeing it makes their trips feel shorter.
Among its findings are that:
- Music rules, with nearly 3 in 4 commuters (74%) usually listening to music and 84% of listeners naming it among their preferred forms of audio when commuting.
- Podcasts are popular, with 25% of commuters consuming podcasts, and 33% of listeners calling them a favourite; led by 18–34-year-olds at 43%.
- News still matters: 28% tune in to news, climbing to 39% among 55+-year-old commuters.
Over a third (35%) of those surveyed say their commute has gotten worse in the past year, and 41% describe it as stressful, while 56% say they use their commute to relax or decompress – at least sometimes – with that number going up to 59% among Gen Z commuters.
In the past year:
- 55% have sung out loud in the car
- 26% have danced in their seat
- 36% have stayed longer to finish a song or a podcast
- 13% have taken a longer route just to keep listening
