Audiobook Reading in Australia: A Report on the Audiobooks and Digital Book Culture Survey

Abstract

In Australia, as in other Western nations, one of the biggest developments in book culture in the 21st century has been the rise of audiobooks. Audiobooks materially reconfigure established understandings of books, reading and literacy and are hugely popular. Recent industry studies of broader cultural participation by Creative Australia shows that audiobook reading continues to grow even as other forms of digital reading like ebook reading decrease. Meanwhile, studies of reading practices by Australia Reads suggests that audiobooks have a crucial role to play in growing reading habits among non-reading Australians.

Research to date suggests that a third of Australians listen to audiobooks, a rate that is similar to that in other Anglophone markets, and lower than many European markets, including Germany. Despite this significant number, several factors—including a focus on written literacy, a lack of reliable and focused data, and inattention until recently from scholarly researchers—has meant that very little is known about audiobook reading culture.

The Audiobooks and Digital Book Culture survey took a snapshot of Australian audiobook consumption in October 2025, together with a parallel survey that ran in the German market. Completed by respondents who had listened to at least one audiobook in the past twelve months, it explored listening behaviours, preferences, and experiences across the two markets, comparing these with other reading and cultural consumption and demographic characteristics.

Who is listening to audiobooks, and what are they listening to? How does audiobook consumption sit in relation to print and ebook reading, and how does it fit with patterns of cultural consumption more broadly? What are audiobook listeners’ perceptions of themselves, and what they’re listening to? Do audiobook listeners see themselves as readers, or does this fall into a different conceptual category? And what is the perception among the audiobook reading community of technological interventions, particularly the rise of AI narration?

This report seeks to answer these questions, and through this to give a sense of the shape, size and significance of audiobook reading in Australia, both as a market and as a distinctive, vibrant and multifaceted listening community. Show more