Report: Podcast Listeners Definitely Younger, Not Necessarily White

Podcast listening has traditionally been driven by youth, skewing more to men than women. But to what extent is that still the case, given recent increases in engagement among the middle-aged and growing popularity among women? Triton Digital’s Year-End Podcast Report reveals that podcast audiences do still tend to be younger and male, but not necessarily more White.

Looking at age groups, the 18-24 bracket garners a 25% higher share of the monthly adult podcast listening audience than its share of the US general adult population. But this group isn’t the highest-indexing relative to its share of the general population; instead that’s the 25-34 bracket, with an index of 150. Next up is the 35-44 bracket, with an index of 143 relative to its share of the US general adult population.

By comparison, the index figures for the 45-54 and 55+ groups trail, at 91 and 54, respectively.

MarketingCharts found the same pattern in its latest Media Audience Demographics report, with the 25-34 group the highest-indexing in weekly podcast listening, followed by the 35-44 and 18-24 brackets.

Meanwhile, the Triton Digital study finds that men over-index the general population in share of the monthly podcast listening audience (115), such that this audience skews slightly more male.

Adding to its appeal to marketers, the monthly podcast listening audience is also diverse (115 index for Hispanic adults, 109 index for Black/African American adults) as well as affluent (121 index for household income of $100k+) and highly educated (131 index for College Graduates+).

Last year, News was the most downloaded genre in the US, at 23% share of downloads, per the report. News was followed by Comedy (17% share), True Crime (15% share), Sports (10% share), and Society & Culture (10% share).

Looking at the top-indexing demographics among some of those leading genres, Triton Digital shows that:

• News appeals to adults ages 55+ (index of 155) and Republicans (index of 123);
• True Crime draws an audience of females ages 25-34 (index of 186) and parents with children under 18 (index of 111);
• Comedy appeals to adults ages 18-24 (index of 159) and students (index of 146); and
• Sports pulls in males ages 35-54 (index of 179) and those with household income of at least $100k (index of 132).

About the Data: The results are based on surveys fielded among 12,000 monthly US podcast listeners and 10,000 US general population adults.