What proportion of Americans listens to podcasts? Which devices do listeners use, and where do they listen/watch? What is the demographic profile of the podcast audience?
To find out, Edison Research and Triton Digital conducted a telephone survey in January and February 2016 of 2,001 people in the United States age 12 and older (52% interviewed via landline, 48% via mobile phone). The data was weighted to reflect national age-12+ population figures.
Below, key findings from the report.
Popularity
- 55% of Americans age 12+ are aware of the term "podcasting."
- 36% have listened to or watched a podcast at least once.
- 21% have listened to a podcast in the previous month; 13% have listened in the previous week.
Demographics
- 56% of podcast fans are men, and 44% are women.
- The podcast audience has a higher median income ($63,000) than the general US adult population ($53,000).
- Podcast consumers are more likely to have a four-year college degree and/or graduate degree than the general US adult population.
- Younger consumers are more likely to listen to podcasts than are Americans age 55+.
Listening Trends
- Weekly podcast consumers listen to 5 podcasts per week, on average, for an average of 4 hours and 10 minutes per week.
- 71% of consumers use their smartphone to listen to podcasts; 29% use their computer.
- 53% of podcast consumers listen to podcasts most often at home.
About the research: The report was based on data from survey conducted in January and February 2016 of 2,001 people in the United States age 12 and older.
