Edison Research has released its latest Share of Ear data and it says during the third quarter the percent of Americans who listened to a podcast each day hit a new high. Eighteen percent, or nearly one in five Americans aged 13 and older, say they consume a podcast daily. That is a 20% increase compared to a year ago. It is also more than three-times the daily reach for podcasts compared to 2014 when Edison first began asking the question each quarter.
Edison says there have been some fluctuations in podcast reach from quarter to quarter from the beginning to end of quarantine restrictions, but it says the overall trend is one of growth and that should be encouraging for podcasters.
Edison last month released its annual Spoken Word Audio Report which showed podcasting’s share of spoken word audio slipped to 21% -- a one point drop from a year ago when pandemic media habits will still holding strong. Taking the long view, however, podcasting’s share of time with spoken word audio content has increased by 163% during the past eight years.
The report, produced by Edison and NPR, shows podcasting has its strongest connection with younger listeners. It says 39% of Gen Z spoken word audio originates from podcasts. That compares to a 26% share for Millennials and 16% for those 35 and older. Overall, podcasts account for 24% of all spoken word audio consumption among those age 13 and older according to the latest Share of Ear data.
Edison’s quarterly Share of Ear reports are based on a rolling national diary-based survey of 4,000 Americans aged 13 and older.