More and more people turned to radio and podcasting during the pandemic.
That's according to research by Radiocentre Ireland, the new industry body for audio.
In a sample of 1,000 adults interviewed in February, over one-third of people changed their listening habits - largely due to working from home.
This included listening to more radio, more stations and at different times on different platforms.
Podcast listening also increased - with 50% of adults saying they listen to podcasts, rising to 76% for 18-34 year olds.
While a large percentage (27%) said they listened more to news (27%), current affairs (23%) and talk shows (20%) as the pandemic unfolded.
And a large portion of those surveyed said when working from home, radio helped keep them company (46%), lift their mood (28%) and even helped them focus and be more productive (18%).
The research also found that one-in-three people currently working from home want to continue to do so.
It showed that 26% of people are currently working from home, and only 5% of this group want to work in the office full-time.
There is also a strong preference for hybrid working (56%), typically two or three days a week in the office.
While the survey also revealed that almost half (47%) of all adults said they will spend more on eating out now that the restrictions have lifted.
And 43% said they will spend more on holidays abroad.
Ciaran Cunningham is CEO of Radiocentre Ireland.
"Not only was radio a trusted source of news and information during the pandemic, it was also a companion for people working from home and a lot of people want to continue working from home post pandemic restrictions.
"The research also shows that post restrictions, people are itching to spend their money on areas that they missed hugely, namely leisure and travel".
While Gerard O'Neill, from Amarach Research, adds: "While recent developments in Ukraine have added to economic uncertainty, Irish consumers are nevertheless in ‘catch up’ mode when it comes to their spending behaviour after two years of pandemic and lockdowns.
"They have piled up more savings than before, which will be used to do some of the catching up in the months ahead."
