New Study Reveals Young People Listen to More Orchestral Music Than Their Parents

New research from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra suggests that people under 35 listen to more orchestral music as part of their daily lives

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, in the UK, has conducted a new study on the listening habits of people under 35. The research suggests that for that age group, the amount they listen to orchestral music in their daily lives increased in the last five years. Additionally, young people are now more likely to be listening to it than their parents.

A tracking survey of 2,000 people was conducted. It asked about the situations in which people listen to orchestral music. It found that 65% of people aged under 35 were listening on a regular basis, which was a 6% increase from 2018 (59%). This was higher than those aged over 55, where the proportion was slightly over half (57%).

When looking at what situations people listened to orchestral music, there were also some differences between the generations. Older people listened most while traveling (like in a car or on public transport). For those aged under 35, cooking was the most common situation.

Younger people were twice as likely as their parents’ generation to be listening to orchestral music while working (19% vs 10% of over 55s), while exercising (17% versus 6%), in the bath (17% vs 6%), going to sleep at night (14% vs 8%) and waking up in the morning (10% vs 4%).

More findings can be found here.

"In 2022, the experience of engaging with orchestral music reaches far beyond the concert hall and into every part of people’s lives – from cooking to commuting, the workplace and the gym," said James Williams, Managing Director of the RPO. "The effect of the pandemic, and the seismic shift in the way we now live our working lives, has meant a development in the way people are engaging with music. Listening habits fit with people’s changes in lifestyle, and while this will continue to evolve and change over time, engagement with music has become stronger. As our research shows, more people are spending time listening, reading about, watching, and performing music this year than ever before.”

“Sharing the visceral experience of hearing an orchestra live in concert with the widest possible audience, remains at the core of the RPO’s mission. We believe the more people that experience orchestral music – whether at home, at work or on the move – the more we will grow the demand from new audiences to experience outstanding live performances.”