Mindfulness Meditation App Abandonment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study

Objectives Mindfulness meditation apps are used by millions of adults in the USA to improve mental health. However, many new app subscribers quickly abandon their use. The purpose of this study was to determine the behavioral, demographic, and socioeconomic factors associated with the abandonment of meditation apps during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method A survey was distributed to subscribers of a popular meditation app, Calm, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 that assessed meditation app behavior and meditation habit strength, as well as demographic and socioeconomic information. App usage data were also collected from the start of each participant’s subscription until May 2021. A total of 3275 respondents were included in the analyses. Participants were divided into three cohorts according to their subscription start date: (1) long-term subscribers (> 1 year before pandemic start), (2) pre-pandemic subscribers (