A recent Pew Research Center survey (conducted August 18-24, 2025) reveals growing reliance on podcasts for news among U.S. adults, with 32% now saying they get news from podcasts at least sometimes—up from 22% in 2020.
This includes 10% who do so often, highlighting podcasts' rise as a key news platform amid digital shifts.
Breakdown by Demographics
Education and Income: College graduates (higher usage) and those with incomes over $75K are more likely to tune in than those with high school education or lower incomes.
Gender: Usage is similar across men (25%) and women (21%), though overall trends show slight male edges in some cohorts.
Among podcast news users, preferences lean toward in-depth content:69% listen to explanatory podcasts on news topics.
- 61% tune into opinion-based shows.
- 58% prefer daily news summaries.
Willingness to pay remains low: Just 6% of U.S. adults have paid for or donated to news podcasts in the past 12 months. Only 6% prefer podcasts as their primary news source, trailing TV (34%), news websites/apps (21%), and social media (14%). However, 10% get news from podcasts often, underscoring their role as a supplementary format.