Podcast Listening Behaviors Are Not What You’d Expect

podcast listening behaviors

Podcast Listening Behaviors Are Not What You’d Expect

Everyone’s talking about podcasts, and that’s no surprise. There are millions of podcast listeners and thousands of podcasts. The question is, how do podcast listeners actually behave? A review of some current findings tells us more about podcast listening behaviors and how they’re not what you’d expect.

More Podcast Listeners Than Ever Before

According to a recent survey published by Edison Research and Triton Digital, there are more podcast listeners than ever before. In fact, 50% of those 12 and older have listened to a podcast in the last month. More specifically, about 90 million people per month are actively listening to podcasts.

Of the findings, Tom Webster, who is the Senior Vice President at Edison Research, says, “This is a watershed moment for podcasting–a true milestone. With over half of Americans 12+ saying that they have ever listened to a podcast, the medium has firmly crossed into the mainstream.”

Another survey, conducted by EX-IQ, solidifies the importance of this moment with more remarkable statistics.

In a world where there are numerous vehicles for media consumption, 1/3 of millennials listen to podcasts daily; this choice marks a turning point in not only consumption but also learning. 67% of respondents reported that podcasts contribute significantly to their intellectual growth.

Not only are more people listening to podcasts, but more people are learning from them.

Podcast Categories: What are People Listening to?

There are numerous podcast categories, and many people listen across genres. The top categories and listening habits may surprise you, however.

Voxnest has published these stats on their findings concerning listening behavior.

The top categories in the United States are religion, culture (mostly true crime), sports, history, and news and information.

According to the same survey, most podcast listening happens in the morning. The only category that sways the data is in News and Information category, which is often listened to in the evening.

Whether you’re a podcast listener or professional in the sector, these categories and behaviors might surprise you.

Why Do These Behaviors Matter?

Understanding consumer behavior helps hosts and advertisers cater their marketing plans, allowing for more effective targeting. These insightful surveys ultimately make podcasts more accessible to the many parties involved with them.

Podcast listening behaviors probably are not what you expected, but this newfound information provides useful insight to all of us.