Situating Meditation Apps Within the Ecosystem of Meditation Practice: Population-Based Survey Study

Abstract

Background Meditation apps have the potential to increase access to evidence-based strategies to promote mental health. However, it is currently unclear how meditation apps are situated within the broader landscape of meditation practice and what factors may influence engagement with them. Objective This study aimed to clarify the prevalence and correlates of meditation app use in a population-based sample of individuals with lifetime exposure to meditation in the United States. In addition, we sought to identify the concerns and desired features of meditation apps among those with lifetime exposure to meditation. Methods A total of 953 participants completed an initial screening survey. Of these 953 participants, 434 (45.5%) reported lifetime exposure to meditation and completed a follow-up survey (434/470, 92.3% response rate) assessing their meditation app use, anxiety, depression, loneliness, initial motivation for meditation, and concerns about and desired features of meditation apps. Results Almost half (434/953, 45.5%) of the participants who completed the screening survey reported lifetime exposure to meditation. Among those with lifetime exposure to meditation (ie, meditators), more than half (255/434, 58.8%) had used meditation apps at least once in their lives, and 21.7% (94/434) used meditation apps weekly or daily (ie, active users). Younger age, higher anxiety, and a mental health motivation for practicing meditation were associated with lifetime exposure to meditation apps. Among meditators, those with lifetime exposure to meditation apps were more likely to report concerns about apps, including concerns regarding the cost and effectiveness of apps, time required for use, technical issues with apps, and app user-friendliness. Meditators who used meditation apps weekly or daily (ie, active users) were younger, less likely to be men and non-Latinx White individuals and have lower income, and more likely to have an initial spiritual motivation for meditation. Active users reported more concerns regarding usability and technical problems and were less likely to report disinterest in apps. Headspace and Calm were the most frequently used apps. Tips and reminders for practice, encouragement of “mini” practices, and mental health content were the most desired features. Participants were less interested in social features (eg, the ability to communicate with other users or teachers). Conclusions Meditation apps are commonly used by meditators in the United States, with a higher use among certain demographic groups. Future studies may increase user engagement in meditation apps by addressing concerns (eg, cost and effectiveness) and incorporating desired features (eg, tips and reminders for practice).

Prevalence and 20-year Trends in Meditation, Yoga, Guided Imagery and Progressive Relaxation Use Among US Adults From 2002 to 2022

“…Importantly however, the user profiles presented here are somewhat different to previous reports [3][4][5][6][7][8] that have considered the most prevalent user groups at a whole population (rather than a subgroup) level. Whole population estimates are biased toward the largest sociodemographic groups as per US Census data; i.e., older White women who are high school educated and reside in the South 51 . While it is true that there are numerically more of this type of user than other types, our report shows that 45-64-year-olds and residents of the South, while highly prevalent, are in fact slightly underrepresented among meditation and yoga users when compared to other ages and regions.…”

Prevalence and 20-year trends in meditation, yoga, guided imagery and progressive relaxation use among US adults from 2002 to 2022

“…While growth in meditation use has been strong over the past 20 years, our analysis using 5 timepoints revealed a more stable rate of growth than the previously most recent estimates which suggested three-fold growth between 2012–2017 5 alone. Increases in accessibility 52 , evidence regarding health and wellbeing benefits 10 – 12 , and barriers to accessing conventional mental health services 38 , 39 may be contributing to increases in use across all practices. The widespread accessibility of meditation apps may explain why growth in meditation use has been stronger than for yoga and guided imagery/progressive relaxation.…”

“…The widespread accessibility of meditation apps may explain why growth in meditation use has been stronger than for yoga and guided imagery/progressive relaxation. The use of 32 , 33 , 53 , and research into 31 meditation apps has increased sharply in recent years, with recent cross-sectional data suggesting that between 58–75% of meditators in the US have used a meditation app at least once, with 21–23% using them regularly 43 , 45 , 52 .…”

Using Digital Technology to Increase Integration of Meditation into Daily Life: The Case for Meditation-Based Ecological Momentary Interventions

“…Meditation has become widespread in the West in the past several decades (Lam et al, 2023;Nahin et al, 2024). Meditation can be defined as a family of practices that provide training in attentional and emotional regulation (Lutz et al, 2008).…”