• by Chase Martin , July 13, 2017

Smart speaker owners say they don’t want to go back to life without the devices and even encourage their friends to get one.

That’s according to a new study conducted by Edison Research for NPR.

The study comprised a survey of more than 1,600 adults, 800 of whom own an Amazon or Google voice assistant device, and 15 in-home interviews with voice assistant device owners.

More than three quarters (76%) of voice assistant device owners said they only have an Alexa-enabled device. Fewer than a quarter (16%) own a Google Home device and fewer (8%) said they have both.

Almost half (45%) of voice assistant device owners said they plan to buy an additional unit and almost three quarters (69%) said they have encouraged their friends to buy one.

More than half (53%) of adults who don’t currently own a voice assistant device said they are somewhat or very likely to buy one within the next six months, according to the study.

Once in a home, the devices are being used, sometimes more than ever. Almost half (47%) of voice assistant device owners said they currently use the device more now than they did in the first month of ownership.

Another recent study by IFTTT found that more than half (61%) of voice assistant device owners using its platform use their devices more than four times a day, as the AI & IoT Daily recently reported (Voice Assistant Device Owners Likely To Buy More Connected Devices).

That study, which comprised a survey of users representative of voice assistant device owners using the IFTTT (If This Then That) platform, also found almost all (98%) device owners said they think they will still be using a voice assistant in five years.

In the NPR study, more than two thirds (65%) said they wouldn’t want to go back to living without a voice assistant device.

More than three quarters (80%) of parents with a voice assistant device said it has made entertaining children easier.

Listening to music is the top use, with 68% saying they regularly play music, followed by getting the weather (58%) and answering general questions (52%), according to NPR.

However, those numbers are higher among voice assistant device owners who listen to podcasts. Almost three quarters (72%) of device owning and podcast listening adults use the devices to play music, 61% to get weather and 56% for general questions.

Fewer than a quarter (24%) of podcast listeners with voice assistant devices use those devices to listen to podcasts, according to the study.

Almost three quarters (70%) said they listen to more audio content since purchasing the device.

Here is the breakdown of audio consumption that has increased since owning the device:

• 65% -- Music
• 28% -- News
• 20% -- Podcasts
• 18% -- Audiobooks

More than a quarter (28%) of owners said the device led them to subscribe to a music streaming service.

There also appears to be room to grow for voice assistant device owners. Almost three quarters (72%) said they don’t know enough about their device to use all its features.

More than half (58%) have one device, almost a quarter (24%) have two and the rest (18%) have three or more, according to NPR.

The top location in the house for devices is general living space (52%), followed by kitchen (24%) and bedroom (19%).