Survey: CTT Listeners More Stable In Marriage

Salem Communications Corporation Wednesday released more research data it commissioned in the largest research project ever done on the habits and patterns of Christian Teaching and Talk listeners across the country.

Nielsen Audio conducted this in-depth qualitative study of 350 Salem Teaching and Talk listeners across both PPM and diary markets with Edison Research. Salem's study talked to the listeners of Christian formatted talk stations owned by Salem and other companies, to determine who they are, why they listen, and how they listen.

The study found that while 53% of the US adult population is married, that goes up to 69% with CTT listeners. 29% have a child 17 years old, or younger. While 13% of the US adult population is divorced, only 6% of the CTT listeners are divorced. The study reveals that CTT listeners are much more likely than the general population to be in the middle of a stable marital relationship, and are about 50% less likely to be divorced.

Dave Santrella

"A great deal of the programming heard on our CTT stations encourages a strong and healthy relationship between man and wife. Some of our programs are devoted almost entirely to this subject," said Salem Communications President Dave Santrella. "It is no wonder then that what we found verifies that what they hear, they also follow at home, with a stable marriage being much more likely."

This study shows that the typical listener to the CTT format is much more willing to make donations to support the ministries and donor partners they hear on the air than the other formats. A stunning 52% of the P-1 listeners surveyed said they had made a donation to a ministry at least once in the last year, and 32% of all CTT listeners said the same. 45% of them one time, 25% twice, 17% three times, and 13% made donations 4 or more times.

The study reveals that a large group of listeners, 64% find the advertisers on Christian radio to be more credible than non-Christian stations. A whopping 92 percent said these Christian radio advertisers are either more credible or the same as typical radio advertisers.

"This custom study allows Salem to tell its unique story to advertisers and further leverage their programming and business objectives," said Carol Edwards, SVP Nielsen Media Analytics, adding "By demonstrating how listeners engage with audio content, Salem can enhance the value of its ratings and differentiate itself from its competitors."