Audiobooks surge as travel favorite, helping fuel debate over what ‘counts’ as reading

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Fromlong drives to delayed flightsand crowded commutes, more Americans are now reaching for headphones over hardcovers, and it has sparked debate over whether their audiobooks really count as reading.

Since 2016, the percentage of Americans who listen to audiobooks daily has risen from 3% to 8% — a 167% increase — according to Edison Research.And 51% of adults say they have listened to an audiobook at least once, according to the Audio Publishers Association’s 2025 consumer survey.

But traditionalists insist that reading requires eyes on a page.More than 40% of Americans believe listening to an audiobook is less rigorous and doesn’t truly count as reading, a 2025NPR-Ipsos poll found.

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

Man listening to headphones on train, seen with travel backpack and coffee as he looks out window.

More Americans are turning to audiobooks, sparking debate over whether listening counts as reading.(iStock)

“Surely ‘reading’ is about enjoyingthe art of storytelling,and audiobooks allow that,” said Ali Smith, a Maryland-based dog trainer and avid audiobook listener.

While she wishes she had time to sit and read an actual book, audiobooks better suit her busy life.

“Telling me that’s not reading as I listen to stories about dragons, fairies, knights and gnolls is just not true,�

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Some experts agree, while others argue that the distinction is not so simple.

Woman peers over her reading glasses to look into book she holds in her hands

Experts say both print reading and audiobook listening activate key language comprehension areas of the brain.(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 recently toldThe 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 reading can activate the brain’s main language comprehension systems, agreed Emily Levy, a literacy expert and founder 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,�

Yet she cautions that calling the two experiences identical would be an oversimplification.

Experts say audiobooks can support comprehension, but print reading is needed to build decoding and fluency skills.(Patrick T.Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Reading print also engages visual networks, including areas involved in decoding letters and recognizing word patterns, skills that are especially important for childrenlearning to read.Audiobooks, on the other hand, rely on auditory processing systems.

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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 said.

That nuance is often lost in online debates, where opinions can be strong and deeply personal.

Zack Barnes, an associate professor of literacy at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, considers audiobooks a legitimate form of reading.

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Audiobooks are becoming an increasingly popular way to pass the time on the go.(iStock)

Barnes added that audiobooks can serve as a gateway, motivating some listeners to pick up a physical book and build actual reading stamina.

Others argue that the context matters.Listening whiledriving or multitaskingcan divide attention, potentially affecting retention of fine details.

debates over audiobookstend to miss the bigger picture.

Unrecognizable woman smiling reading a book during her flight.

Listening while driving or flying may divide attention, some experts caution.(iStock)

“Instead, we should be examining how each type of media impacts cognition during the process of absorbing information,�

He notes that reading print allows a person to control pace, reread passages and even remember where information appeared on a page.

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

Research suggests audiobooks may also work well for storytelling and basic information, while print can offer advantages when grappling with more complex material,Psychology Today reported.

Woman at beach holiday resting in hammock and listening to music

Research suggests audiobooks may be better suited for storytelling than complex information.(iStock)

Experts agree that the debate should therefore shift away from whether audiobooks “count” as reading and toward what listeners want to gain from the experience.

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For those on the move like Smith, who says audiobooks help her keep her “sanity” as she paces her house at 2 a.m.trying to get her baby to sleep, pressing play remainsthe practical choiceand one she is not embarrassed about.