Spotify has released Culture Next 2026, its annual study of Generation Z. It covers three life stages: high school students aged 14 to 18, university students aged 19 to 23 and young professionals aged 24 to 29. Its main lesson matters to anyone producing audio online: among the youngest listeners, the line between listening to and watching a podcast is fading fast.
Video is gaining ground in podcasting
According to the platform, Gen Z no longer necessarily picks a format in advance. It switches between audio and video depending on the content. Among its youngest members, three out of five podcast streams on Spotify are now consumed as video rather than audio only. Over the past 18 months, the share of video in their podcast streams has grown by 107%.
In France, the motivations are clear: 63% of the young people surveyed watch video podcasts to dig deeper into the topics they are passionate about, and 52% see them as a way to feel less alone or more connected to others. Another telling figure: 46% say their relationship with creators feels more personal on Spotify than on social media.
Passions at the heart of identity
The study highlights the role of music and audio in shaping passions. In France, three in five Gen Z members on Spotify believe that what they are fans of will always remain central to their identity. 70% consider the time they spend on the platform to be time well invested, and two in three say it enriches their everyday experience as fans.
This listening often goes hand in hand with other activities. Worldwide, gaming is the number one interest category for the youngest members of Gen Z, who are 10% more likely to cite it than TV, film, entertainment or sport. In France, 53% of young Gen Z professionals see fitness as a way of pushing themselves, not just as a health matter. On Spotify, the creation of "aura" playlists by this generation has tripled in a year.
True crime and the paranormal to cope with uncertainty
Culture Next 2026 also points to listening driven by emotions. When the future looks uncertain, more than 40% of Gen Z on Spotify turn to true crime, horror or the paranormal. These genres are then chosen three times more often than the "Religion and Spirituality" category and almost twice as often as self-improvement. The reasons vary with age:
- high school students come mainly out of curiosity, with creepypasta, the paranormal or criminal psychology;
- university students are 81% more likely than the youngest group to listen to true crime to ease anxiety;
- young professionals are almost twice as inclined to use it to switch off.
What it means for internet radio stations
For an internet radio station, these figures do not mean giving up on audio, but they do suggest that offering nothing else to under-30s is becoming risky. Filming the studio during a flagship show, publishing some programmes as video or cutting short clips are accessible ways to follow an audience that moves freely between formats.
The study also underlines the strength of community. A themed station dedicated to a music genre, gaming or sport is well placed to become a place of belonging rather than just another stream. Shows that give listeners a voice, regular appointments and closeness with presenters answer the need for connection expressed by more than half of the young French people surveyed.
Finally, the appeal of true crime and mystery stories shows there is real demand for narrative content. A series of episodes released as both podcast and video can extend the life of a station's schedule well beyond the live broadcast.
Source : La Lettre Pro