80 million Americans listen to podcasts weekly, a 17% increase over 2020 reaching 28% of the US 12+ population according to the Infinite Dial 2021. The Infinite Dial is produced by Edison Research and is America’s longest-running survey of digital media consumer behaviour in the US, published annually since 1998. It provides survey data on a number of important media channels, including streaming audio, podcasting, and social media from a representative sample of the US population aged 12 and over.
The overall monthly podcast listening audience is now more diverse than ever: 57% of monthly podcast listeners are white, 16% Latino, 13% African American, 4% Asian, and 10% of some other background.
Along with podcasting, smart speaker ownership and online audio consumption showed notable gains in this year’s survey. 62% of the US population, around 176 million people, are now weekly online audio listeners, an all-time high for this category.
One-third (33%) of Americans 12+, approximately 94 million people, now own a smart speaker, an increase of 22% from last year and nearly five times what it was in 2017 (7%). Of those who own a smart speaker, 34% have three or more of the devices in their household.
The Infinite Dial 2021 marks a significant year for the study, as the media measurement was done almost entirely during a time of quarantine or some level of restriction due to Covid-19. The historical data in The Infinite Dial provides pre-Covid trending capability.
Tom Webster, Senior Vice President at Edison, said “Podcasting, in particular, has made great gains with women and non-White audiences, and truly reflects the diversity of America.”
Findings from the Infinite Dial 2021 report
- 88% of Americans 12+ own a smartphone, another year of growth from 85% last year. Tablet (51%) and smartwatch (18%) ownership has plateaued, meaning the smartphone is by far most popular device for media consumption.
- TikTok usage surged, particularly among 12-34 year-olds. Forty-four percent of 12-34 year-olds are using the service, up from 25% last year – an increase of 76%.
- For the first time in the history of the study, Facebook is no longer named as the social media brand used most often by a majority of social media users, as 47% say it is the platform they use most (down from 54% the year before and 62% in 2016).
- One in five Americans 12+ have now watched a live stream of a videogame, and 10% broadcast their own games.
- 51% of those age 12+ ‘frequently’ or ‘sometimes’ listen to audio with other people, with this percentage rising to 69% among those age 12-34.
- The percentage of Americans 18+ who have driven or ridden in a car in the last month decreased from 87% in 2020 to 83% this year.
The full report (75pp) is available free to down here.
