SRINAGAR: Music was a near-constant companion for many Kashmir drivers, with 54 per cent of respondents saying they always listened to music while driving. The most commonly reported reasons included entertainment, avoiding boredom, relieving tension and making use of otherwise “free” time, according to a study of 200 motorists in Kashmir Valley.
The study also found that neither the presence of music nor its volume had an adverse effect on drivers’ ability to properly follow the vehicle ahead, although the researchers noted that the genre of music appeared to influence driving performance.
The study, Study on Relationship Between Types of Music Listening and Driving in Kashmir Valley, examined the relationship between music-listening habits and driving among 200 people who owned cars and had been driving for more than four years. The respondents were selected using purposive and simple random sampling techniques.
The research was carried out in 2015, at a time when the sources of music available to motorists were considerably more limited than they are today. The study’s own categories reflect that technological landscape: respondents reported listening to CDs or tapes, music radio and talk radio, alongside conversation or silence. There were no streaming platforms or the much wider range of instantly accessible digital music sources that are commonplace today. The researchers specifically found that CDs and tapes were the most popular listening source across the age groups studied, followed by music radio. Almost 11 years later, CDs are no longer in use.
Among respondents aged 21–30, 37.93 per cent preferred CDs or tapes while driving and 31.03 per cent listened to music radio. Among those aged 31–50, the corresponding figures were 35.71 per cent and 30.61 per cent. In the 51–70 age group, 34.10 per cent preferred CDs or tapes and 31.82 per cent preferred music radio. The study found no statistically significant association between age and the overall listening activity while driving.
The type of music, however, varied significantly with age. Classical music was the leading choice among younger and middle-aged respondents: 44.83 per cent of those aged 21-30 and 45.92 per cent of those aged 31-50 preferred it. Among respondents aged 51-70, ghazals were the most popular choice at 31.82 per cent, followed by classical music at 29.55 per cent. The association between age and preferred type of music was statistically significant, with a p-value below 0.05.
Kashmiri music accounted for around 10-11 per cent across the three age groups. Religious music was preferred by 12.07 per cent of respondents aged 21-30, 9.18 per cent of those aged 310-50 and 22.73 per cent of those aged 51-70. Western or other music was preferred by 17.24 per cent, 18.37 per cent and 4.55 per cent respectively.
The reasons for listening were overwhelmingly connected to making driving more pleasant. Among respondents aged 21-30, 81.03 per cent said they listened for entertainment, 77.59 per cent to avoid boredom and 84.48 per cent because driving provided “free” time to listen. In the 31-50 age group, entertainment was cited by 88.78 per cent, avoiding boredom by 79.59 per cent and using the time to listen by 78.57 per cent. Among those aged 51-70, avoiding boredom was cited by 84.09 per cent, relieving tension by 75 per cent and using driving time to listen by 72.73 per cent.
Music was also associated with emotional and psychological benefits in the responses. Across the age groups, substantial proportions said they listened to reduce loneliness, as a distraction from worries, to relieve tension or to help them through difficult times. The study, however, found no statistically significant association between age and the reasons for listening or not listening to music while driving.
The researchers placed their findings against an existing body of research that has identified both positive and negative effects of music on driving. Music may help reduce fatigue, stress and boredom, but manipulating an audio system, selecting songs or listening to loud or fast music can also become a source of distraction. The paper notes that music can mask external warning sounds such as horns and sirens and that more complex listening situations can place additional demands on a driver’s attention.
The Kashmir study nevertheless concluded that respondents generally used music in a way intended to minimise the discomfort of travel. It reported that the presence or volume of music did not impair the drivers’ ability to properly follow the car ahead. At the same time, the researchers cautioned that the genre of music appeared to influence driving performance and said the available evidence was not sufficient to recommend music listening while driving without qualification.
The researchers said the study provided an initial insight into music-listening and driving practices among Kashmiri motorists, an area for which they found little contextual information at the time. They also suggested that future studies with larger samples and longer driving exposure could establish stronger relationships between music listening and driving performance.
The paper was authored by Nusrat, Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Kashmir; Bilal Ahmad Bhat, Division of Social Science, Faculty of Fisheries, SKUAST-Kashmir; Munazah Yaqoob, RTCPPPM, SKUAST-Kashmir, Shalimar; Tahira Sidiq and Shazia Naseem, Institute of Home Science, University of Kashmir; and Sadiqa Shafiq and Sidrat Ul Muntaha Anees, Department of Geography and Regional Development, University of Kashmir.
It was published in the International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Modern Education (IJMRME) (Volume I, Issue I) in 2015.
