Who’s Really Using VR these days? Six Data-Driven insights into today’s VR User Demographic
The world of virtual reality (VR) is booming — more than 13 % of US households own a VR device, spending on average 30–45 minutes in it 2–4 times per week. Unsuprisingly, more and more brands start to look into this new medium, but often, professionals are unsure about who actually uses VR today. This short article summarizes 5 Key Takeaways on who the current demographic of VR is, who will be using it in the future and what trends are growing right now.
1. It’s Not Just a Young Male Person’s Game
Think VR is just for millennials or Gen Z? Think again! Nearly half of VR users fall into the age brackets of both 18–34 (47 %) and 35–54 (47 %). Even the 55–64 age group is starting to dabble, making up 6% of users. Men may still dominate this playground with a 60% majority, but female Users aren’t far behind at 40%.
2. Are They All Tech Wizards?
Not necessarily! Though an overwhelming 71% do consider themselves early tech adopters. So yes, the “cool” factor hasn’t entirely worn off yet.
3. Where and How is VR Enjoyed?
A substantial 49% use VR in the sanctity of their own homes. But a significant number — 43% — also experience VR at a friend or family member’s home. Public venues like arcades and theme parks attract 33% and 21% of users respectively. And here’s a delightful twist — 12% are using it for cultural experiences in museums and art galleries.
4. Why are people buying VR Headsets?
The love for gaming cannot be denied, accounting for 53% of VR purchases. Yet, curiosity (33%), tech enthusiasm (32%), and recommendations (28%) aren’t lagging far behind. Some receive it as a gift (27%), which is a trend likely to accelerate during holiday seasons.
5. Non-Gaming Consumer VR is on the rise
Games remain a key driver of VR adoption: 72% of VR users are in it for the immersive gameplay. But other uses are rapidly emerging. Whether it’s watching movies (42%), surfing the web (29%), or even getting creative with art and music (22%), VR is proving to be a versatile medium. Yet, less than 100 apps in the Meta Quest Store, the store of the most distributed VR headset, provide non-gaming applications to those VR Users, indicating a strong demand from existing VR Users for non-gaming consumer applications.
6. Arts & Culture — the Killer Application for VR?
Especially for arts, culture and heritage, this presents a unique opportunity:
- A staggering 71% of VR users express interest in using VR to visit museums, art tours, or cultural events
- 48% of consumers indicate they would join the metaverse primarily for arts and culture.
- Visiting virtual museums & art galleries is by far the most named activity general consumers could envision themselves doing in a VR headset (39%), far above exercising (32%), socialising (31%) and even shopping (29%).
And this makes perfect sense: while culture itself is usually very international, with institutions and artists having fans all over the world, it is ultimately tied to a single location, making it impossible for most of its audiences to participate in its offerings. Through VR, these experiences can be digitised for the first time, offering an unprecedented opportunity to make cultural engagement interactive, compelling and global. And, as shown before: audiences are just waiting for it.
Atopia is the go-to platform for immersive art and cultural experiences, accessible via VR or a standard laptop. As a central hub, it takes museums, galleries, stages and heritage sites global, offering remote access to users from all corners of the world through immersive technologies. Visit via https://atopia.space/ or get in touch: annabell@atopia.space
Sources:
https://mixed-news.com/en/meta-quest-store-analysis/
Statista (2022). Reasons for joining the metaverse. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1288870/reasons-joining-metaverse/
Greenlight Insights (2019). Virtual reality consumer report 2019. https://greenlightinsights.com/reports/2019-virtual-reality-consumer-report/
