Voice Assistant Statistics 2026
This page collects 52 figures on voice assistants and smart speakers: how many people own and use them in the U.S. and abroad, what they use them for, how voice shopping is growing, how the companies behind them are performing, and where privacy and accuracy fall short. Sources include consumer surveys from Edison Research, Pew Research Center and Parks Associates, official statistics from Eurostat, Statistics Canada and national statistics offices, audio measurement from RAJAR, and company filings and releases from Amazon, Google, SoundHound AI and Cerence. Most figures describe 2025 and 2026; older figures are kept as baselines and labeled with their year.
By the DBotMaker research desk · Updated November 6, 2026 · 52 numbers drawn from 36 publishers and reports
Short answer
About a third of Americans own a smart speaker: Edison Research puts ownership at 39% of people aged 12 and older in 2026 (an estimated 112 million), and Pew Research Center finds 35% of U.S. adults have one. Voice is moving into AI shopping, with Amazon reporting more than 400 million Alexa for Shopping customers in 12 months to Q3 2026, while privacy remains the main barrier: 40% of Canadians do not trust smart speakers with personal data (Statistics Canada).
Headline numbers
- 3939% of Americans aged 12 and older owned a smart speaker in January 2026, the highest share Edison Research has recorded since it began tracking in 2017.Edison Research
- 35%35% of U.S. adults said in February 2026 that they have a smart speaker that uses AI, more than any other AI-enabled home device Pew Research Center asked about.Pew Research Center
- 45%45% of people aged 16 and older in the UK owned a smart speaker in 2025, well above the 35% Edison Research measured for Americans aged 16 and older.Edison Research
- 65%65% of smart speaker users in the UK used the device to listen to radio in the second quarter of 2026, according to RAJAR.RAJAR
- 400 million+Amazon says more than 400 million customers used Alexa for Shopping, its agentic shopping assistant, in the 12 months to the third quarter of 2026.Amazon
- 600 millionMore than 600 million Alexa-enabled devices had been purchased worldwide by January 2026, according to Amazon.Amazon
- $168.9 millionSoundHound AI, a voice AI company, reported full-year 2025 revenue of $168.9 million, up 99% from 2024.SoundHound AI
- 40%40% of Canadians said in 2022 that they did not trust smart speakers with their personal information, more than the 31% who distrusted AI technologies in general.Statistics Canada
Reading the numbers
Smart speaker ownership in the U.S. stalled for several years and then rose again. Edison Research measured 33% ownership among Americans aged 16 and older in 2021 and 35% in 2025, then 39% of Americans aged 12 and older in January 2026, an estimated 112 million people. Pew Research Center's February 2026 survey agrees at 35% of adults, and Parks Associates finds 51% of internet households own a smart speaker or display. Amazon leads new purchases, with over half of recent buyers choosing an Amazon device according to Parks Associates.
Outside the U.S., the UK now has the higher ownership rate, with 45% of people aged 16 and older owning a smart speaker according to Edison Research. Official statistics show wide variation: 41% of internet users in Ireland use a virtual assistant at home (Central Statistics Office), over four in ten in the Netherlands do (Statistics Netherlands), and 19% of people across the EU use smart speakers (Eurostat). Young adults in the EU are the heaviest users, at 26% for smart speakers and 23% for virtual assistants.
Listening is still the core use. RAJAR finds 65% of UK smart speaker users listen to radio on the device and that smart speakers carry 25% of UK digital radio hours. The newer growth area is AI shopping and conversation: Amazon says Alexa for Shopping interactions grew 570% year over year in Q3 2026 and that Alexa+ sold at $19.99 a month, free with Prime, lifts Prime sign-ups. Independent voice AI vendors are growing too, with SoundHound AI reporting $168.9 million in 2025 revenue and Cerence technology in 52% of global car production.
Trust and accuracy remain limits. Statistics Canada found 40% of Canadians do not trust smart speakers with their personal information, the FTC fined Amazon $25 million in 2023 over children's Alexa recordings, and a 2020 PNAS study found speech recognition error rates of 0.35 for Black speakers versus 0.19 for white speakers. Many usage and shopping figures on this page come from the companies that sell assistants, so they describe their own platforms rather than the whole market.
Voice assistant and smart speaker ownership in the U.S.
- 1.
39% of Americans aged 12 and older owned a smart speaker in January 2026, the highest share Edison Research has recorded since it began tracking in 2017.
Edison Research, The Infinite Dial 2026 (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
7 18 23 27 33 35 36 34 35 39 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
- 2.
Edison Research estimates that 112 million Americans aged 12 and older owned a smart speaker in 2026.
Edison Research, The Infinite Dial 2026 (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Estimated 112 Million Smart Speaker Ownership
- 3.
35% of U.S. adults said in February 2026 that they have a smart speaker that uses AI, more than any other AI-enabled home device Pew Research Center asked about.
Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Smart speaker 35% Smart doorbell 18% Robot vacuum 13% Smart themostat 11%
- 4.
51% of U.S. internet households reported owning a smart speaker or smart display in 2025, according to Parks Associates.
Parks Associates, Amazon smart speakers now account for 60% of all smart speaker purchases (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Parks Associates’ recently released Consumer Insights Dashboard: Tech Ecosystem Dashboard reveals 51% of US internet households report owning a smart speaker and/or display.
- 5.
Among U.S. internet households that bought or received a smart speaker in the previous six months of 2025, over half chose Amazon, 18% chose Google and 8% chose Apple's HomePod.
Parks Associates, Amazon smart speakers now account for 60% of all smart speaker purchases (Oct 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Among those households that purchased or received a new smart speaker in the past six months, over half chose an Amazon-branded device, 18% chose a Google product, and 8% chose Apple’s HomePod.
- 6.
Smart speaker ownership among Americans aged 16 and older rose only from 33% in 2021 to 35% in 2025, a plateau Edison Research contrasts with faster growth in the UK.
Edison Research, UK Smart Speaker Ownership Outpaces U.S. (May 2025)
Exact wording at the source
The rate of smart speaker ownership in the U.S. has plateaued, only increasing from 33% in 2021 to 35% in 2025.
- 7.
51% of U.S. adults aged 50 and older used an AI-powered voice assistant such as Alexa, Siri or Google Nest in the past year, according to a 2025 University of Michigan poll.
University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, How Older Adults Use and Think About AI (Jul 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Of the 51% of adults age 50 and older who reported using AI-powered voice assistants (like Amazon Alexa, Siri, or Google Nest) in the past year, 28% said these devices are very beneficial in helping them live independently and safely in their home, 52% said they are somewhat beneficial, 14% said they are not beneficial, and 6% were unsure.
- 8.
In 2017, 46% of U.S. adults said they used voice-controlled digital assistants, mostly on smartphones; this Pew Research Center figure is the earliest baseline on this page.
Pew Research Center, Voice assistants used by 46% of Americans, mostly on smartphones (Dec 2017)
Exact wording at the source
Voice-controlled digital assistants are being incorporated into a wide range of consumer products, and nearly half of U.S. adults (46%) say they now use these applications to interact with smartphones and other devices, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted this spring.
Chart
AI-enabled devices U.S. adults have at home, 2026
Share of U.S. adults who say they have each device and that it uses AI, survey conducted Feb. 17 to 23, 2026.
- Smart speaker35%
- Smart doorbell18%
- Robot vacuum13%
- Smart thermostat11%
Source: Pew Research Center, Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact
Voice assistants outside the U.S.
- 9.
45% of people aged 16 and older in the UK owned a smart speaker in 2025, well above the 35% Edison Research measured for Americans aged 16 and older.
Edison Research, UK Smart Speaker Ownership Outpaces U.S. (May 2025)
Exact wording at the source
As of 2025, 45% of the UK population 16+ owns a smart speaker.
- 10.
19% of people aged 16 to 74 in the EU used internet-connected home audio systems or smart speakers in 2024, according to Eurostat.
Eurostat, Internet of Things: use of internet-connected devices in 2024 (Aug 2025)
Exact wording at the source
This was followed by internet-connected wearables such as smartwatches and fitness bands (30%), game consoles (20%), and home audio systems or smart speakers (19%).
- 11.
Among EU residents aged 16 to 24, 26% used smart speakers and 23% used virtual assistants in 2024, the highest shares of any age group.
Eurostat, Internet of Things: use of internet-connected devices in 2024 (Aug 2025)
Exact wording at the source
The youngest age group reported the highest shares of users for all types of entertainment-related devices, such as internet-connected TVs (67%), wearables (40%), game consoles (40%), smart speakers (26%), and virtual assistants (23%).
- 12.
41% of internet users in Ireland used a virtual assistant such as Google Home, Alexa or Apple HomePod at home in 2024, unchanged from 2022, according to the Central Statistics Office.
Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Smart Technology 2024: Key Findings (Oct 2024)
Exact wording at the source
More than four in ten internet users (41%) in 2024 use a virtual assistant such as Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomePod, etc. in their homes, which was unchanged from 2022.
- 13.
Over four in ten people in the Netherlands used a virtual assistant such as Siri, Google Home, Alexa or Bixby through an app or smart speaker in 2024, according to Statistics Netherlands.
Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Nearly a quarter of Dutch population use AI programs such as ChatGPT (Sep 2024)
Exact wording at the source
Over four in ten use a virtual assistant (such as Siri, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Bixby) that can be controlled using an app or a smart speaker.
- 14.
Smart speakers were in 32% of Australian households in 2022, or 3.2 million homes, up from 5% in 2018, according to the Australian Government's communications department.
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (Australia), Radio prominence on smart speakers: Proposals paper (Sep 2024)
Exact wording at the source
Ownership of smart speakers is reported to have increased from 5 per cent in 2018 to 26 per cent in 2021, and has risen further in 2022 to 32 per cent of Australian households, or 3.2 million households.
- 15.
30% of Canadians used a smart speaker in 2022, making it the most popular internet-connected smart home device, according to Statistics Canada.
Statistics Canada, Canadian Internet Use Survey, 2022 (Jul 2023)
Exact wording at the source
The use of Internet-connected smart home devices continued to grow, up from 42% in 2020 to 47% in 2022, with smart speakers (30%) being the most popular device.
- 16.
28% of Canadian internet users said in April 2026 that their household has a voice-activated assistant, according to a CIRA survey.
Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), Trends in Internet Use and Attitudes: Survey of Canadian Internet Users, April 2026 (Jul 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Of various ‘smart home’ devices, people are most likely to say there is a Bluetooth speaker in their household (36%) while 28% indicate that there is a voice-activated assistant.
Chart
Australian households with a smart speaker
Share of Australian households owning a smart speaker, as reported in the Australian Government's 2024 proposals paper.
- 20185%
- 202126%
- 202232%
Source: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (Australia), Radio prominence on smart speakers: Proposals paper
How people use voice assistants
- 17.
57% of Americans who use voice commands used them every day in 2022, according to the NPR and Edison Research Smart Audio Report.
NPR and Edison Research, Smart Audio Report 2022 (Jun 2022)
Exact wording at the source
Overall usage of voice tech is increasing: In 2022, 57% of voice command users use voice commands daily.
- 18.
65% of smart speaker users in the UK used the device to listen to radio in the second quarter of 2026, according to RAJAR.
RAJAR, RAJAR Data Release, Quarter 2 2026 (Aug 2026)
Exact wording at the source
65% of Smart Speaker users use it for listening to the radio.
- 19.
21% of UK smart speaker users listened to radio on their device every day in the second quarter of 2026.
RAJAR, RAJAR Data Release, Quarter 2 2026 (Aug 2026)
Exact wording at the source
21% of Smart Speaker users listen to radio everyday via their device.
- 20.
Smart speakers accounted for 25% of digital radio listening hours in the UK in the second quarter of 2026, second only to DAB at 57%.
RAJAR, RAJAR Data Release, Quarter 2 2026 (Aug 2026)
Exact wording at the source
In an average week, digital listening accounts for 786 million hours; DAB has a 57% share of digital listening hours, Smart speaker 25%. Website/Apps 15%, DTV 3%
- 21.
18% of all UK radio listening happens through a voice-assisted device, according to the RAJAR figures cited by the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 2026.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (UK), Consultation on the designation of Radio Selection Services (Jul 2026)
Exact wording at the source
The use of these kinds of devices by radio listeners has grown strongly: according to the most recent figures from RAJAR, 18% of total radio listening is via a voice-assisted device.
- 22.
Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri together account for about 95% of UK voice assistant users who listen to internet radio streams, according to the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 2026.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (UK), Consultation on the designation of Radio Selection Services (Jul 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Collectively, these three services account for approximately 95% of all RSS users listening to internet radio streams in the UK.
- 23.
7% of Australians who listened to radio in the past week used a smart speaker to do so in 2025, down from 10% in 2024.
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (Australia), The 2025 Television & Media Survey: Summary Report (May 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Smart speaker NET: 7% (vs 10% in 2024, 9% in 2023)
- 24.
Smart speakers accounted for only 3% of podcast listening time in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2025, compared with 13% on internet-connected TVs, according to Edison Research.
Edison Research, America’s Surprising TV Habit (Jul 2025)
Exact wording at the source
As of Q2 2025, significantly more time is spent listening to podcasts on internet connected TVs (13% of time) than on smart speakers (3% of time), again illustrating the powerful nature of content that combines both audio and visual elements.
- 25.
80% of U.S. adults aged 50 and older who used an AI voice assistant in the past year said it helps them live independently and safely at home, according to a 2025 University of Michigan poll.
University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, How Older Adults Use and Think About AI (Jul 2025)
Exact wording at the source
• 96% of older adults who used AI-powered home security devices and systems and 80% who used AI-powered voice assistants in the past year said these devices help them live independently and safely in their home.
- 26.
83% of U.S. adults who have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in their primary vehicle used it in 2026, according to Edison Research.
Edison Research, The Infinite Dial 2026 (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Have Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto and use it 83%
Chart
Share of UK digital radio listening hours by platform, Q2 2026
Share of weekly digital radio listening hours in the UK, RAJAR second quarter 2026.
- DAB57%
- Smart speaker25%
- Website/apps15%
- DTV3%
Source: RAJAR, RAJAR Data Release, Quarter 2 2026
Voice shopping and AI assistant engagement
- 27.
Amazon says more than 400 million customers used Alexa for Shopping, its agentic shopping assistant, in the 12 months to the third quarter of 2026.
Amazon, Amazon.com Announces Third Quarter Results (Oct 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Continued to drive rapid adoption of Alexa for Shopping, its agentic shopping assistant, which was used by 400 million+ customers in the last 12 months, with customer interactions up 570% year-over-year.
- 28.
Customer interactions with Alexa for Shopping were up 570% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, according to Amazon.
Amazon, Amazon.com Announces Third Quarter Results (Oct 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Continued to drive rapid adoption of Alexa for Shopping, its agentic shopping assistant, which was used by 400 million+ customers in the last 12 months, with customer interactions up 570% year-over-year.
- 29.
The number of customers using the agentic features of Alexa for Shopping grew more than eight times between January and October 2026, according to Amazon.
Amazon, Alexa for Shopping adds 100+ new capabilities to make shopping even faster and easier (Oct 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Over 400 million customers have used Alexa for Shopping in the last 12 months, and the number of customers using Alexa for Shopping’s agentic features has grown more than eight times since the start of the year.
- 30.
U.S. customers who use Alexa for Shopping spend an average of over 40% more per order than those who do not, Amazon reported in July 2026.
Amazon, Amazon.com Announces Second Quarter Results (Jul 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Alexa continues to drive meaningful momentum for the business, including in the U.S., where customers who use Alexa for Shopping spend an average of over 40% more per order than those who don’t, and customers who have tried Alexa+ are signing up for Prime at a nearly 25% higher rate.
- 31.
U.S. customers who have tried Alexa+ sign up for Prime at a nearly 25% higher rate, Amazon reported in July 2026.
Amazon, Amazon.com Announces Second Quarter Results (Jul 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Alexa continues to drive meaningful momentum for the business, including in the U.S., where customers who use Alexa for Shopping spend an average of over 40% more per order than those who don’t, and customers who have tried Alexa+ are signing up for Prime at a nearly 25% higher rate.
- 32.
Since Alexa+ launched, customers complete purchases on Echo Show devices at three times the rate they did with the original Alexa, according to Amazon in 2026.
Amazon, Echo Show gets a new visual shopping experience powered by Alexa+ (May 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Since launching Alexa+, customers have been completing purchases on their Echo Show devices at three times the rate of original Alexa.
- 33.
69% of U.S. consumers shopping for a new vehicle in 2025 said they would prefer a car with in-car voice commerce, in a survey commissioned by SoundHound AI.
SoundHound AI, In-Car Voice Commerce Could Unlock $35B Annually for Automakers, Research Highlights Strong Consumer Appetite (Jun 2025)
Exact wording at the source
The study found that 69% of consumers currently in the market for a new vehicle say they would prefer a car with in-car voice commerce capabilities over one without.
- 34.
76% of new-vehicle shoppers in the same 2025 SoundHound AI survey were interested in using in-car voice commerce to order food, the most popular use case tested.
SoundHound AI, In-Car Voice Commerce Could Unlock $35B Annually for Automakers, Research Highlights Strong Consumer Appetite (Jun 2025)
Exact wording at the source
When participants were presented with specific use cases, 76% were interested in using it for food ordering, 73% for vehicle maintenance, 71% for parking, 59% for entertainment planning, and 58% for impulse retail purchases.
- 35.
One in five Google AI Mode searches worldwide used voice, images or documents in the third quarter of 2026, according to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
Google, Q3 2026 earnings call: Remarks from our CEO (Oct 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Queries in AI Mode are on average three times longer than traditional searches, and one in five AI Mode searches globally use voice, images, or documents.
- 36.
Nearly one in six Google AI Mode queries were non-text, using voice or images, in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Google, Q4 earnings call: Remarks from our CEO (Feb 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Nearly one in six AI Mode queries are now non-text, using voice or images.
Chart
Interest in in-car voice commerce by use case, 2025
Share of U.S. new-vehicle shoppers interested in each voice commerce use case, survey commissioned by SoundHound AI in 2025.
- Food ordering76%
- Vehicle maintenance73%
- Parking71%
- Entertainment planning59%
- Impulse retail purchases58%
Source: SoundHound AI, In-Car Voice Commerce Could Unlock $35B Annually for Automakers, Research Highlights Strong Consumer Appetite
Voice assistant companies and market size
- 37.
More than 600 million Alexa-enabled devices had been purchased worldwide by January 2026, according to Amazon.
Amazon, Introducing Alexa.com, a completely new way to interact with Alexa+ (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
With over 600 million Alexa-enabled devices purchased worldwide, Alexa is already deeply integrated into daily life.
- 38.
Alexa+, Amazon's generative AI assistant, became available to everyone in the U.S. in February 2026 at $19.99 per month, free for Prime members.
Amazon, Alexa+ now available to everyone in the US—and free for Prime members (Feb 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Alexa+ is now available in the U.S. for $19.99 per month and included at no additional cost to Prime members.
- 39.
SoundHound AI, a voice AI company, reported full-year 2025 revenue of $168.9 million, up 99% from 2024.
SoundHound AI, SoundHound AI Reports Record Annual Revenue of $169 Million, Up Nearly 100%, Forecasts Strong Growth (Feb 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Full year reported revenue was $168.9 million, an increase of 99% year-over-year
- 40.
SoundHound AI reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $62.4 million, up 48.5% year over year.
SoundHound AI, SoundHound AI Reports Record Q3 Revenue and Guides to Sustained Adjusted EBITDA Profitability within 2H 2027 (Nov 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Third quarter reported revenue was $62.4 million, an increase of 48.5% year-over-year.
- 41.
SoundHound AI signed a 2026 deal with LG to add a voice commerce channel to about 20 million smart TVs in the U.S.
SoundHound AI, SoundHound AI Reports Record Q3 Revenue and Guides to Sustained Adjusted EBITDA Profitability within 2H 2027 (Nov 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Signed a deal with a global electronics manufacturer LG to debut a new commerce channel across approximately 20 million smart TVs in the US.
- 42.
Cerence, which supplies in-car voice assistants to automakers, says its technology was in 52% of worldwide auto production over the 12 months to September 2025.
Cerence, Cerence Beats Upper End of Guidance, Delivering Strong Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Percent of worldwide auto production with Cerence Technology (trailing twelve months (“TTM”)) 52%
- 43.
Cerence reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $251.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2025.
Cerence, Cerence Beats Upper End of Guidance, Delivering Strong Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Q4 revenue of $60.6 million and FY25 revenue of $251.8 million, both above high end of guidance range
- 44.
Global smart speaker shipments rose 4.6% year over year to 27.2 million units in the second half of 2025, according to Omdia.
Omdia, Smart Speaker Analysis: Market Overview – 2H25 (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Global smart speaker shipments returned to growth in 2H25, rising 4.6% year on year to 27.2 million units, while ASP improved to $108 from the $98 of 1H25.
- 45.
Grand View Research forecasts the global voice and speech recognition market will reach $80.8 billion by 2033, growing 14.6% a year from 2026.
Grand View Research, Voice And Speech Recognition Market Size Report, 2033 (2026)
Exact wording at the source
The global voice and speech recognition market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.6% from 2026 to 2033, reaching USD 80.8 billion.
- 46.
Grand View Research forecasts the global voice user interface market will reach $165.1 billion by 2033, growing 21.3% a year from 2026.
Grand View Research, Voice User Interface Market Size & Share Report, 2026-2033 (2026)
Exact wording at the source
The global voice user interface market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.3% from 2026 to 2033, reaching USD 165.1 billion.
- 47.
Juniper Research forecast in 2020 that voice assistants would run on 8.4 billion devices by 2024, more than the world's population; this is an older forecast kept as a baseline.
Juniper Research, Number of Voice Assistant Devices in Use to Overtake World Population by 2024 (Apr 2020)
Exact wording at the source
A new report from Juniper Research has found that consumers will interact with voice assistants on over 8.4 billion devices by 2024; overtaking the world’s population and growing 113% compared to the 4.2 billion devices expected to be in use by year end 2020.
Privacy, trust and accuracy
- 48.
40% of Canadians said in 2022 that they did not trust smart speakers with their personal information, more than the 31% who distrusted AI technologies in general.
Statistics Canada, Canadian Internet Use Survey, 2022 (Jul 2023)
Exact wording at the source
Although many Canadians noticed the role of AI and used smart home devices, some said that they did not trust AI technologies (31%), smart speakers (40%) and other smart home devices (28%) with their personal information.
- 49.
Among U.S. adults who did not use voice assistants in 2017, 27% cited privacy concerns, according to Pew Research Center.
Pew Research Center, Voice assistants used by 46% of Americans, mostly on smartphones (Dec 2017)
Exact wording at the source
Around one-quarter of this group say they do not use voice assistants because none of the devices they own have this feature (28%) or because they are concerned about privacy (27%).
- 50.
40% of U.S. parents of young children whose kids use smart speakers had turned off the microphone to stop it listening, according to a 2019 Common Sense Media and SurveyMonkey poll.
Common Sense Media and SurveyMonkey, Common Sense/SurveyMonkey Poll Reveals Privacy Is A Top Concern For Families Who Use Smart Speakers And Voice-Activated Assistants (Mar 2019)
Exact wording at the source
Four in 10 (40 percent) have turned off their smart speaker
- 51.
Amazon agreed in 2023 to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle FTC and Justice Department charges that it kept children's Alexa voice recordings and undermined parents' deletion requests.
Federal Trade Commission, FTC and DOJ Charge Amazon with Violating Children's Privacy Law by Keeping Kids' Alexa Voice Recordings Forever and Undermining Parents' Deletion Requests (May 2023)
Exact wording at the source
In addition to the data deletion requirement in the proposed order, Amazon will be required to pay a $25 million civil penalty.
- 52.
Five major speech recognition services from Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM and Microsoft had an average word error rate of 0.35 for Black speakers versus 0.19 for white speakers in a 2020 study in PNAS.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Racial disparities in automated speech recognition (Apr 2020)
Exact wording at the source
Averaging error rates across ASR services yields an aggregate WER of 0.35 (SE: 0.004) for black speakers versus 0.19 (SE: 0.003) for white speakers.
Questions readers ask
- How many people use voice assistants?
- Edison Research estimates that 112 million Americans aged 12 and older, or 39%, owned a smart speaker in 2026, and Pew Research Center finds 35% of U.S. adults have one. Far more people use assistants on phones; Pew's 2017 baseline found 46% of U.S. adults used voice assistants, mostly on smartphones.
- What percentage of households have a smart speaker?
- Parks Associates found 51% of U.S. internet households owned a smart speaker or smart display in 2025. In Australia, smart speakers were in 32% of households in 2022 according to the Australian Government.
- Which voice assistant is most popular?
- Amazon's Alexa leads on devices: Amazon says more than 600 million Alexa-enabled devices have been sold, and Parks Associates found over half of recent U.S. smart speaker buyers chose an Amazon device, against 18% for Google and 8% for Apple. In the UK, Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri together cover about 95% of voice users who stream radio.
- What do people use voice assistants for?
- Listening is the main use: RAJAR finds 65% of UK smart speaker users listen to radio on them. Shopping is growing fast, with Amazon reporting more than 400 million Alexa for Shopping customers in 12 months to Q3 2026, and 51% of U.S. adults aged 50 and older used a voice assistant in the past year according to the University of Michigan.
- Are voice assistants a privacy risk?
- Many users think so. Statistics Canada found 40% of Canadians did not trust smart speakers with their personal information in 2022, and a 2019 Common Sense Media poll found 40% of parents whose kids use smart speakers had turned off the microphone. In 2023 Amazon agreed to a $25 million civil penalty in an FTC case over children's Alexa voice recordings.
Where these numbers come from
We chose figures that measure voice assistants and smart speakers directly: ownership, use, use cases, shopping, company results, market forecasts, privacy and accuracy. Consumer surveys come from Edison Research, Pew Research Center, Parks Associates, the University of Michigan, CIRA and Common Sense Media; official statistics from Eurostat, Statistics Canada, Ireland's Central Statistics Office, Statistics Netherlands, the Australian Government and the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport; audio measurement from RAJAR; and company figures from Amazon, Google, SoundHound AI and Cerence filings and releases. Survey populations differ (Edison counts Americans 12 and older, Pew counts adults, Parks counts internet households), so ownership shares should not be compared as one series. Company figures are self-reported and use their own definitions; Google's AI Mode figures combine voice with image and document input. Market forecasts from Grand View Research and Juniper Research use broad definitions. We kept older figures from Pew (2017), Common Sense Media (2019), PNAS (2020), Juniper Research (2020), NPR and Edison (2022), Statistics Canada (2022) and the FTC (2023) only where no newer primary source measures the same thing, and labeled each with its year. We store the sentence each number appears in, and a script loads the publisher's page again to make sure that sentence is still there. Our methodology has the details.
Sources
- Amazon. Amazon.com Announces Third Quarter Results (Oct 2026).
- Amazon. Alexa for Shopping adds 100+ new capabilities to make shopping even faster and easier (Oct 2026).
- Amazon. Amazon.com Announces Second Quarter Results (Jul 2026).
- Amazon. Echo Show gets a new visual shopping experience powered by Alexa+ (May 2026).
- Amazon. Introducing Alexa.com, a completely new way to interact with Alexa+ (Jan 2026).
- Amazon. Alexa+ now available to everyone in the US—and free for Prime members (Feb 2026).
- Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). Trends in Internet Use and Attitudes: Survey of Canadian Internet Users, April 2026 (Jul 2026).
- Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Smart Technology 2024: Key Findings (Oct 2024).
- Cerence. Cerence Beats Upper End of Guidance, Delivering Strong Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results (Nov 2025).
- Common Sense Media and SurveyMonkey. Common Sense/SurveyMonkey Poll Reveals Privacy Is A Top Concern For Families Who Use Smart Speakers And Voice-Activated Assistants (Mar 2019).
- Department for Culture, Media and Sport (UK). Consultation on the designation of Radio Selection Services (Jul 2026).
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (Australia). Radio prominence on smart speakers: Proposals paper (Sep 2024).
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (Australia). The 2025 Television & Media Survey: Summary Report (May 2026).
- Edison Research. The Infinite Dial 2026 (Mar 2026).
- Edison Research. UK Smart Speaker Ownership Outpaces U.S. (May 2025).
- Edison Research. America’s Surprising TV Habit (Jul 2025).
- Eurostat. Internet of Things: use of internet-connected devices in 2024 (Aug 2025).
- Federal Trade Commission. FTC and DOJ Charge Amazon with Violating Children's Privacy Law by Keeping Kids' Alexa Voice Recordings Forever and Undermining Parents' Deletion Requests (May 2023).
- Google. Q3 2026 earnings call: Remarks from our CEO (Oct 2026).
- Google. Q4 earnings call: Remarks from our CEO (Feb 2026).
- Grand View Research. Voice And Speech Recognition Market Size Report, 2033 (2026).
- Grand View Research. Voice User Interface Market Size & Share Report, 2026-2033 (2026).
- Juniper Research. Number of Voice Assistant Devices in Use to Overtake World Population by 2024 (Apr 2020).
- NPR and Edison Research. Smart Audio Report 2022 (Jun 2022).
- Omdia. Smart Speaker Analysis: Market Overview – 2H25 (Apr 2026).
- Parks Associates. Amazon smart speakers now account for 60% of all smart speaker purchases (Oct 2025).
- Pew Research Center. Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact (Jun 2026).
- Pew Research Center. Voice assistants used by 46% of Americans, mostly on smartphones (Dec 2017).
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Racial disparities in automated speech recognition (Apr 2020).
- RAJAR. RAJAR Data Release, Quarter 2 2026 (Aug 2026).
- SoundHound AI. In-Car Voice Commerce Could Unlock $35B Annually for Automakers, Research Highlights Strong Consumer Appetite (Jun 2025).
- SoundHound AI. SoundHound AI Reports Record Annual Revenue of $169 Million, Up Nearly 100%, Forecasts Strong Growth (Feb 2026).
- SoundHound AI. SoundHound AI Reports Record Q3 Revenue and Guides to Sustained Adjusted EBITDA Profitability within 2H 2027 (Nov 2026).
- Statistics Canada. Canadian Internet Use Survey, 2022 (Jul 2023).
- Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Nearly a quarter of Dutch population use AI programs such as ChatGPT (Sep 2024).
- University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. How Older Adults Use and Think About AI (Jul 2025).
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DBotMaker. (2026, November 6). Voice Assistant Statistics 2026. https://dbotmaker.io/voice-assistant-statistics
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