Podcast listening is at an all-time high in the US, with daily time spent listening to podcasts now accounting for nearly one-third of all spoken-word audio at 31%, which is a 27% increase over the past nine years.
The data is derived from Edison Research’s quarterly Share Of Ear survey which measures all audio that US respondents aged 13+ listen to in a 24-hour period, including what they’re listening to, how much, when, where and which device they use. The sample size for the Share Of Ear survey is 4,000 respondents per report.
Although the full Share Of Ear report for Q1 2023 is not out yet, the latest Edison Weekly Insights newsletter highlighted data for podcasters worth celebrating – including the fact that there is now an estimate of 89 million US residents listening to podcasts, which is a record high. The full insights will later be revealed at The Podcast Show in London on 24 May.
The newsletter also showed that the time US residents spend listening to podcasts compared to other audio sources is almost at double digits, having grown to 9% this quarter compared to 8% in the last.
“These are exciting accomplishments during a time of economic turbulence,” said Edison Research director of research Gabriel Soto in the Edison Weekly Insights newsletter. “Podcasters, we hope these serve as a reminder of how far you have taken the medium and the push you need to keep moving upward.”
Edison’s Share Of Ear survey results follow the release of its Infinite Dial 2023 report in March, which surveys digital media consumption trends in US residents aged 12 and over. The report revealed that roughly one in three people in the US now listen to podcasts on a weekly basis, which is also an all-time high for podcasting.
