Millennials and Gen Z of India are relying on audio to relieve stress: Survey

The pandemic has been a tough ride for everyone and more so, for people already struggling with stress. While striving hard to adapt to the strict restrictions imposed by social distancing norms and mitigate the onslaught of pandemic-induced stress, people, especially the millennials and Generation Z are finding new coping mechanisms. One of them is resorting to audio, finds a survey named Culture Next Trends 2021. This research, conducted by Spotify, a music streaming app, reveals that music has quite literally been a saviour for the anxious generation in these trying times.

Spotify Culture Next Trends 2021: A snapshot from India
The research was conducted in 18 global markets among 9000 millennials (those born between 1980 and 1996) and Gen Z respondents (born between 1997 and 2010). The countries include United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Japan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, and Malaysia. Here are the key highlights from India:

87 percent of millennials and 77 percent of Gen Z have reported that they rely on audio to reduce their stress levels.

84 percent of millennials view audio as a mental health resource while 79 percent of Gen Z find audio to be therapeutic

48 percent of millennials and Gen Z population trust podcasts more than traditional media sources like national TV news, newspapers, and radio.

The average podcast listenership base has increased 271 percent among millennials and over 300 percent among Gen Zs in Q1 2021 compared to Q1 2020.

As a genre, mental health has grown by over 600 percent among millennials and more than 900 percent among the Gen Z population during the above-mentioned time period. Other popular genres include alternative health, spirituality, self-help

Almost 80 percent of millennials and about 70 percent of those from Gen Z said that podcast hosts "sometimes feel like a friend."

80 percent of respondents from the Gen Z population feel "more centered and generally happier" when listening to their favourite playlist every day.

This year, millennials have resorted more to playlists that make them nostalgic. They streamed '80s Hits by 195 percent more and '70s Love Songs by 44 percent more in March 2021 compared to the year before.

Mental health benefits of music therapy
A growing body of research suggests that music therapy is an effective tool for the alleviation of stress. It is believed to help kids and teenagers in tackling these manifestations of stress: Headache, fatigue, sleep issues, restlessness, irritability, angry outbursts, lack of motivation, and social withdrawal. It has been found that music is capable of releasing happy hormones.