CBS News poll: The jump in popularity in podcasts
Most Americans now listen to podcasts, and the percentage who do has risen considerably over just the past year. According to a new CBS News poll, two-thirds of Americans listen to podcasts at least once in a while, including 23% who do so a few times a week.
By comparison, a year ago, a majority of Americans said they never listened to podcasts.
Podcast listening has increased in all age categories, but it has increased the most among younger adults. Now, 29% of Americans between the ages of 18-34 listen to podcasts at least a few times a week (up from 16% in December 2017). A year ago, 47% of adults between 18 and 34 said they never listened to podcasts, compared to 18% today.
How Often Do You Listen to Podcasts?
| Now |
| Dec. 2017 |
|
|
| ||||
Daily/few times a week | 23% | 15% | ||||||||
Once a week | 10 | 8 | ||||||||
Once a month | 9 | 8 | ||||||||
Less often | 23 | 10 | ||||||||
Never | 30 | 53 |
How Often Do You Listen to Podcasts (categorized by age)?
| Total |
| 18-34 |
| 35-44 |
| 45-54 |
| 55-64 |
| 65+ | |
Daily/few times a week | 23% | 29% | 20% | 18% | 19% |
| 20% | |||||
Once a week | 10 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 5 |
| 9 | |||||
Once a month | 9 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| 6 | |||||
Less often | 23 | 22 | 22 | 29 | 24 |
| 22 | |||||
Never | 30 | 18 | 33 | 32 | 40 |
| 35 |
This poll was conducted by telephone January 8-13, 2019 among a random sample of 1,019 adults nationwide. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Glen Mills, Pa. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones.
The poll employed a random digit dial methodology. For the landline sample, a respondent was randomly selected from all adults in the household. For the cell sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone.
Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish using live interviewers. The data have been weighted to reflect U.S. Census figures on demographic variables. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus four percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher and is available by request. The margin of error includes the effects of standard weighting procedures which enlarge sampling error slightly. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
See also:
- "CBS Sunday Morning" Podcast (iTunes)
- CBS News Podcasts
- Mo Rocca's "Mobituaries" Podcast (Simon & Schuster)