Podcasts Become New Rituals Before Sleep, Gen Z To Baby Boomers Follow Trends

Illustration of listening to podcasts before bed. (Freepic)

JAKARTA - For many young people today, listening to podcasts is not just entertainment activities, but has become part of everyday routines. One of the most popular moments is when the night comes, before bed.

Instead of scrolling through social media or watching screens, many choose to close the day with their favorite podcast sound as friends rest. This trend is growing rapidly and even clearly in the results of the latest survey.

The results of the YouGov Indonesia Media Consumption Report 2025 survey show that most podcast listeners or podcasters choose to enjoy it before going to bed, so its function is like an introduction to soundness.

According to a survey issued by the YouGov research institute, as many as 42 percent of respondents or two of the five siniar listeners admitted that they listened to the siniar more often at night before going to bed.

"Actually they heard the podcast on various occasions, but most generally people hear podcasts before going to sleep," said General Manager of YouGov Indonesia, Edward Hutasoit, as quoted by ANTARA.

This survey was conducted on more than 1,000 respondents from April 16 to May 13, 2025. The results show that podcasts are not only friends before bed, but also present in various daily activities.

As many as 27 percent of respondents listened to siniar while doing homework, while the other 22 percent chose to play it while traveling using public transportation.

In addition, there are 20 percent of respondents who usually listen to podcasts while working or studying, as well as 12 percent who enjoy them while exercising.

YouGov's findings also reveal that both Gen Z and the older generation of millennials, Gen X, to baby boomers both make podcasts as friends ahead of sleep, with a consistent percentage of 42 percent.

However, the habit of listening at other moments is slightly different between generations. Gen Z, for example, listens more podcasts while working or studying (24 percent), while the older generation is only 16 percent. Gen Z is also noted to play podcasts more often while walking or exercising (15 percent) than senior generation groups (9 percent).

On the other hand, older generations tend to use podcasts as friends at home or when traveling. About 29 percent of them listen while doing homework, while Gen Z does it only 25 percent. For activities on public transportation, 23 percent of the older generation prefer to listen to podcasts, slightly higher than Gen Z (21 percent).

"So we can say this is a really important role for podcasts among users to fill their activities," said Edward.