Is the idea of audiophile listening a dying concept as boomers die off?

Let's put it this way: my kids (now 26) were exposed to high end audio from the time when they were born.  Interest in my setting them up with an audio system when they got their first apartment: zero.  Not enough room, and why would they want that if they can stream anything they want from phone or computer?  On the other hand, my stepdaughter, who's now 40, is still using my hand-me-down Maggie SMGa's and Rega Planar 3; for her, vinyl was (and is) trendy.

People under 50 that can afford the pricier items have demanding jobs and families. I would count myself in that group and have 0 time to go to Audiophile group outing. I am happy if I can listen 2-3 hours a week. The luxury of time + money usually does not exist until later in life. It doesn’t mean that there are not a lot of mid age people interested or participating in the hobby.

Interesting anecdotal evidence. Something to combine with the survey data. Thanks. 

I have a younger friend, around 45, prosperous and with refined musical tastes, whose children are now nearing independence and wants to spend an evening hearing his favorite recordings via a serious playback system. All signs suggest he grasps the deficiencies of the "smart speaker" world is ready to explore the magical world of serious two-channel listening.. Two years ago, I helped another younger friend in the same project. His wife and children constantly remark that they have never heard music sound so good. He doesn't even own a preamp; uses a mid-fi streamer/DAC straight into the amp, and recently asked for help in adding a vinyl rig. So, anecdotally, there are grounds for optimism about the future of our little "hobby" or niche obsession. 

I ran into an industry exec in a store one day, by chance, who told me 

1) the high end industry is larger outside the U.S.

2) the fastest growing segment of consumer electronics world wide is audio systems over $50k

It's undeniable that at a younger age most must work hard and do multiple chores to run a family and that undoubtedly puts the research of quality sound as a distant secondary endeavor, if at all. Equally true is most retired people with the means to sit back and enjoy the roses are in dire need of finding some kind of hobby that will enhance their life. Anyway, that is pretty much how it went for me. I grew up in my teens listening to rock music nearly everyday, but not in any audiophile form other than on my dad's system. Then in my twenties, I dove into my professional life, unfortunately no longer being able to give much time to listening to music. It wasn't until the business world ended for me that I could finally get back into music and have been on an audiophile path ever since. I honestly know of no one in my younger friends or family who has any desire to get involved with the hobby. They enjoy listening to my setup but would never consider following it. At least at this point in their life.