Report: 58% of daily podcast listeners belong to Gen Z, shaping media trends

Gen Z is rapidly reshaping Indonesia’s media landscape, with their preference for podcasts and flexible media experiences setting new rules of engagement for brands, according to the YouGov Indonesia Media Consumption Report 2025.

The report, based on a survey of more than 1,000 Indonesian respondents, highlights how younger audiences are driving a shift away from traditional, single-platform habits to a more fragmented, multi-format ecosystem spanning audio, video, and social.

Podcast listening stands out as one of the strongest signals of this change. While just 4% of Indonesians listen to radio daily, Gen Z has turned to podcasts in significant numbers - making up 58% of all daily podcast listeners. Nearly half (45%) of Gen Z respondents said they spend more than an hour each day on podcasts, underlining the demand for deeper, more purposeful content.

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“In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, consumption is an active, emotional experience, and one that is strongly shaped by generation,” said Edward Hutasoit, general manager of YouGov Indonesia and India. “For creators, platforms, brands, institutions and policymakers, understanding when, where and why Indonesians interact with media is key to building relevant connections with target audiences.”

The findings also show that Gen Z is far more likely to consume over five hours of media daily, both on weekdays (16%) and weekends (23%).

At the same time, traditional TV viewing remains strong among older generations, with 61% of older Indonesians tuning into live broadcast television, compared to nearly half of Gen Z watching less than an hour per day.

Spotify continues to dominate as the leading audio platform, with 81% of Indonesians using it - ten times more than Apple Music, the second-most popular service. Meanwhile, TikTok is seeing accelerated growth among Gen Z, with nearly two-thirds reporting increased usage over the past year.

Beyond entertainment, media is becoming a direct channel for commerce. Some 73% of Indonesian users have purchased something after seeing an ad on social media, with this number rising to 78% among women.

“From shifting platform preferences to the rise of multi-screen behaviour, we see clear signals about the direction audiences are heading,” Hutasoit added. “The challenge as well as the opportunity lies in translating these insights into smarter content strategies, more relevant campaigns, and more inclusive digital experiences.”

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