The results of a just-released study from Canada's Media Technology Monitor show that, similar to America, our neighbors to the north also overwhelmingly prefer AM/FM radio while on the road.
According to MTM's report on in-car or public transit listening habits, based on 12,000 telephone interviews conducted this year among Canadians 18 or older, two in three say they listen to AM/FM radio when in the car, while one-third of those sampled with online access in cars report listening to music streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music.
“Listening to traditional AM/FM radio has long been the go-to form of entertainment while driving,” MTM's report says. “Whether it’s listening to the news, music or traffic updates, radio remains the key source of audio entertainment in the vehicle.”
Canada's AM/FM in-car listening habits closely mirror those of U.S. consumers 18+, based on findings from Edison Research's The Infinite Dial 2023 survey which show that 73% of the in-car population use AM/FM radio, compared to 37% using online audio services.
MTM's study also finds that among Canadians 18-34, 60% listen to AM/FM in the car, while 57% report listening to streaming music services. Radio is also the dominant choice of parents when their kids are in the car, at 57% vs. 31% for streaming, while one in six kids listen to their own audio content on a phone or other device.
For adults sampled riding public transit, online audio is most popular, with music streaming services, music on YouTube, and podcasts mentioned most often. As for podcasts, MTM finds that those under age 50 are nearly three times as likely to be listening to them in the car as those over 50.