A key finding from Edison Research indicates that podcast listenership among Republicans has been growing, narrowing the gap with Democrats.
Edison Podcast Metrics data showing that in 2019, Democrats outnumbered Republicans among podcast listeners by 17 percentage points. Now, this gap had shrunk to just 7 points. This suggests a significant increase in Republican engagement with podcasts over time.
Additional context from Edison’s research, such as the 2022 Infinite Dial survey, shows that while Democrats were historically more likely to listen to podcasts overall (41% of Democrats vs. 36% of Republicans among adults 18+), Republicans have shown a stronger preference for politically oriented content.
Eight of the top 20 podcasts for Republicans leaned political, compared to only three for Democrats. This trend aligns with broader findings that Republicans are increasingly turning to podcasts, particularly those offering conservative perspectives from hosts like Ben Shapiro, Dan Bongino, and Sean Hannity.
The narrowing partisan gap could reflect podcasts’ growing appeal as an alternative media source, especially for Republicans who may distrust traditional outlets.
Edison’s data also suggests that as podcasting reaches mainstream status—53% of U.S. adults 18+ listened monthly by 2024, per industry trends—its audience is diversifying, pulling in more Republican listeners who were previously less engaged with the medium.
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