How Daily Life Has Improved 'Like This' with Audio Content

- Confirming audiobook effects such as stress reduction during driving and housework, and increased physical activity
- Audiobooks recognized as an alternative to supplement children's reading amid declining national reading rates
- Factors expanding the audio content market including multitasking capability and natural consumption environment

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] As positive effects of audio content consumption have been confirmed, expectations for the expansion of the related market are also growing.

Willa, an audiobook subscription service, announced the results of a survey on the effects of audiobooks in daily life on the 10th. The survey was conducted over four days from April 22 to 25 with 2,354 users of its app, confirming various positive effects such as ▲effects while driving ▲effects of content consumption during commuting ▲effects during exercise ▲effects during housework.

Recently, the national reading rate has been declining due to changes in the times. According to the "2021 National Reading Status" announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in January, the percentage of adults aged 19 and over who read at least one book in the past year decreased by 8.2 percentage points from 47.5%. The development of various media and the abundance of content have become the background for the decline in reading rates.

With so many places to turn to for various content, it is not easy for parents educating their children to encourage reading. However, meaningful figures stand out in Willa's survey data. Among 1,223 users with children, 32% (395 people) responded that their children had experienced audiobooks. In particular, 88% of respondents said that audiobooks "help increase their children's reading volume." This naturally means that audiobooks have been effectively used to create a reading environment for children. Moreover, more than half (55%) of those who responded positively said that "audiobooks help reduce their children's smartphone viewing."

Audio content naturally creates an environment that can be shared with someone. In the past, parents and children traveling by car built memories by enjoying music playing on the radio. Lim Young-woong, the "National Trot Hero" born in 1993, also said, "Because I naturally encountered trot music that my mother liked in the car, I think my introduction to trot was also natural." In this regard, parents who care about their children's reading can cultivate "reading habits" by creating an environment using audio content.

In addition to audio content consumption for children's education, the frequency of audio content use in daily life is also increasing. It was confirmed that using audio content during various daily activities such as housework and driving helps reduce stress, increase exercise, and improve sleep rhythms, thereby enhancing life satisfaction.

As audio content expands beyond existing music and audiobooks to include audio dramas, lectures, and more, users have more ways to enrich their lives. The characteristic of audio content allowing users to multitask freely also broadens the market potential for audio content.

An industry official said, "Audio content is deeply penetrating users' lives. People enjoy content in various daily situations and gain benefits," adding, "With the expansion of the domestic audio content market, which is gradually growing, it is expected that the number of contents that can be enjoyed in more diverse ways will increase."