Vacationers assist gasoline audiobook surge amid debate over what ‘counts’ as studying

From lengthy drives to delayed flights and crowded commutes, extra Americans at the moment are reaching for headphones over hardcovers, and it has sparked debate over whether or not their audiobooks really matter as studying.

Since 2016, the proportion of Americans who hearken to audiobooks each day has risen from 3% to eight% — a 167% improve — in keeping with Edison Research. And 51% of adults say they’ve listened to an audiobook not less than as soon as, in keeping with the Audio Publishers Association’s 2025 client survey.

But traditionalists insist that studying requires eyes on a web page. More than 40% of Americans consider listening to an audiobook is much less rigorous and doesn’t actually depend as studying, a 2025 NPR-Ipsos poll found.

Others, nevertheless, argue the suggestion that audiobooks “don’t count” feels dismissive.

More Americans are turning to audiobooks, sparking debate over whether or not listening counts as studying. (iStock)

“Surely ‘reading’ is about enjoying the art of storytelling, and audiobooks allow that,” mentioned Ali Smith, a Maryland-based canine coach and avid audiobook listener.

While she needs she had time to take a seat and skim an precise e-book, audiobooks higher go well with her busy life. 

“Telling me that’s not reading as I listen to stories about dragons, fairies, knights and gnolls is just not true,” Smith advised Fox News Digital.

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Some consultants agree, whereas others argue that the excellence just isn’t so easy.

Experts say each print studying and audiobook listening activate key language comprehension areas of the mind. (iStock)

“The brain area we call the ‘letter box,’ which processes print, is not as engaged when you listen,” cognitive neuroscientist Nadine Gaab of Harvard Graduate School of Education in Massachusetts lately advised The Harvard Gazette. 

“But it has been shown that when some people listen to words, they visualize them, so the letter box gets activated.” 

Both listening and studying can activate the mind’s important language comprehension techniques, agreed Emily Levy, a literacy knowledgeable and founding father of EBL Coaching, which serves New York and New Jersey.

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“When someone listens to an audiobook or reads print, the comprehension parts of the brain show similar activation,” Levy advised Fox News Digital. 

Yet she cautions that calling the 2 experiences similar can be an oversimplification.

Experts say audiobooks can assist comprehension, however print studying is required to construct decoding and fluency abilities. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg by way of Getty Images)

Reading print additionally engages visible networks, together with areas concerned in decoding letters and recognizing phrase patterns, abilities which might be particularly vital for kids studying to learn. Audiobooks, however, depend on auditory processing techniques.

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“If a child needs to build their decoding or reading fluency skills, listening to audiobooks won’t do the trick,” Levy mentioned.

That nuance is usually misplaced in on-line debates, the place opinions could be sturdy and deeply private.

Zack Barnes, an affiliate professor of literacy at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, considers audiobooks a authentic type of studying.

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“When we are listening to an audiobook, you are still trying to extract meaning from the text that is being read aloud to you,” Barnes mentioned. “You are still doing a complex cognitive task by listening to audiobooks.”

Audiobooks have gotten an more and more fashionable method to move the time on the go. (iStock)

Barnes added that audiobooks can function a gateway, motivating some listeners to select up a bodily e-book and construct precise studying stamina.

Others argue that the context issues. Listening whereas driving or multitasking can divide consideration, probably affecting retention of effective particulars.

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Traveling could be particularly distracting, mentioned Bob Hutchins, CEO of Human Voice Media and a Ph.D. researcher centered on how expertise shapes psychology. But he argues that debates over audiobooks are likely to miss the larger image.

Listening whereas driving or flying could divide consideration, some consultants warning. (iStock)

“Instead, we should be examining how each type of media impacts cognition during the process of absorbing information,” Hutchins, primarily based in Nashville, advised Fox News Digital.

He notes that studying print permits an individual to regulate tempo, reread passages and even bear in mind the place data appeared on a web page.

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“Audios connect us to our past traditions of hearing a voice tell a story,” Hutchins mentioned. “Printed materials anchor our minds in analytical thinking.”

Research suggests audiobooks may additionally work properly for storytelling and fundamental data, whereas print can provide benefits when grappling with extra complicated materials, Psychology Today reported.

Research suggests audiobooks could also be higher fitted to storytelling than complicated data. (iStock)

Experts agree that the talk ought to subsequently shift away from whether or not audiobooks “count” as studying and towards what listeners need to achieve from the expertise.

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For these on the transfer like Smith, who says audiobooks assist her preserve her “sanity” as she paces her home at 2 a.m. making an attempt to get her child to sleep, urgent play stays the sensible selection and one she just isn’t embarrassed about. 

“I’m proud of my audiobook listens,” she mentioned.

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