Say you want a more personalized music listening experience, what are you reaching for, earbuds or traditional headphones? According to an ongoing CivicScience poll of over 15,000 U.S. adults, a plurality (48%) say they prefer regular headphones, while more than one-third (35%) lean toward earbuds (excluding no opinion). Sixteen percent, meanwhile, can’t decide and like them both equally.
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A look into how demographics shape preferences reveals quite the generational split. Gen Z, aged 18-29, is by far the most likely to say they like both options equally. At the other end of the spectrum, Americans 65+ lead the way in preferring headphones outright, while Millennials and Gen X drive the preference for earbuds. Men and women are nearly equally as likley to prefer headphones (36% to 35%, respectively). However, women lead men in preferring earbuds (32% to 23%).
How do those who prefer headphones compare to those who choose earbuds? Here’s more CivicScience data looking at these two segments head-to-head:
Music Genre: Rock/classic rock is the most popular among both earbud and headphone fans, though they are more common among headphone listeners (65% to 56%). Those who most prefer earbuds, on the other hand, are nearly twice as likely to say they listen to pop music most often.
Jogging for Fitness: Those who prefer earbuds over headphones are twice as likely as headphone fans to say they run or jog for fitness at least on a weekly basis.
Chicken Wing Preferences: Americans who prefer earbuds over headphones tend to over-index in their preference for only flats and only drumsticks when it comes to chicken wings. Conversely, 62% of headphone fans say they are cool with both flats and drums (compared to 55% of earbud fans).
Trying New Food and Drinks: When it comes to trying new foods and beverages, 58% of those who prefer headphones say they “don’t typically keep up with new things because I already know what I like,” 11 points higher than earbud fans who say the same. Nearly half of earbud enjoyers say they ‘usually keep up with what’s happening, but don’t always try every new thing.’
Whether you’re team headphones or team earbuds, the data makes one thing clear: these choices say more about us than how we listen to music. From fitness habits to food preferences, each camp carries its own distinct flavor. And with generational differences continuing to shape what we plug into, the divide between earbuds and headphones isn’t just about sound — it’s about lifestyle.
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This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights.