Podcasts As A Source of News and Information

FOR RELEASE APRIL 18, 2023
Podcasts as a Source of
News and Information
About half of Americans have listened to a podcast in the past
year, and most of those listeners come across news content
BY Elisa Shearer, Jacob Liedke, Katerina Eva Matsa, Michael Lipka and Mark Jurkowitz
FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES:
Katerina Eva Matsa, Director, News and

Information Research
Elisa Shearer, Senior Researcher
Sogand Afkari, Communications Manager
Andrew Grant, Communications Associate
202.419.4372
www.pewresearch.org
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Pew Research Center, April, 2023, “Podcasts as
a Source of News and Information”
1
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
How we did this

This study explores U.S. adults’ views of and experiences with podcasts as a part of the news and
information landscape.
To examine the ways Americans get news and information in a digital age, Pew Research Center
surveyed 5,132 U.S. adults from Dec. 5 to 11, 2022. Everyone who completed the survey is a
member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited
through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a
chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by
gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the
ATP’s methodology. Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its
methodology.
Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. This is the
latest report in Pew Research Center’s ongoing investigation of the state of news, information and
journalism in the digital age, a research program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, with
generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
www.pewresearch.org
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Podcasts as a Source of News and Information

About half of Americans have listened to a podcast in the past year,
and most of those listeners come across news content
Following a steady increase in podcast listening
over the past decade, podcasts have become a
Roughly half of Americans say they have
big part of the normal routine – and news diet
listened to a podcast in the past year
– of many Americans, especially younger
% of U.S. adults who have ___ to a podcast in the past
adults. 12 months
Not listened Listened

Roughly half of U.S. adults say they have
listened to a podcast in the past year, according 51% 49%
to a new Pew Research Center survey, including

one-in-five who report listening to podcasts at % who say __ on the podcasts
least a few times a week. Among adults under they listen to
30, about a third listen to podcasts with such
News is not
frequency. discussed 33%
67% News is
discussed
Today’s podcast landscape is a sprawling one, No answer <1%
featuring topics from sports and religion to

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
politics and entertainment, and it attracts large “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
numbers of listeners who turn to podcasts for a PEW RESEARCH CENTER
variety of reasons.
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Large shares of podcast

Americans listen to podcasts to learn, for
listeners say that they turn to
entertainment and to fill time while doing other things
podcasts for entertainment,
% of U.S. podcast listeners who say each is a ___ they listen to podcasts
learning and diversion – i.e.,
having something to listen to Major Minor
reason reason NET
while doing something else.
For entertainment 60% 27% 87%
Half of Americans or more who
have listened to a podcast in
To learn 55 33 88
the past 12 months say these
are major reasons they listen to To have something to listen to
52 29 81
while doing something else
podcasts.
To hear other people's opinions 30 41 71
Fewer Americans turn to
To stay up to date about current 29 34 64
podcasts in search of news, events
though most listeners still say For encouragement or inspiration 27 32 59
that news is at least a part of
their experience with podcasts. Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened to a podcast in the past
12 months.
Among U.S. podcast listeners – Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
“Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
those who have listened to a
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
podcast in the past 12 months
– 29% say that staying up to
date about current events is a major reason they listen to podcasts. Two-thirds of podcast listeners
say they have heard news discussed on the podcasts they listen to – amounting to a third of all
U.S. adults. And among those who hear news on podcasts, the vast majority say they expect the
news they hear there to be mostly accurate.
The survey shows, however, that most podcast listeners are not tuning into podcasts connected to
news organizations. Just one-in-five listeners say the podcasts they listen to are connected to a
news organization, while almost three times that amount (59%) say they are not (21% aren’t sure).
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Listeners turn to podcasts to hear about a wide range

of specific topics. Nearly half of podcast listeners say The rise of podcasts
they regularly listen to podcasts about comedy (47%) Podcast listening in the U.S. has
increased steadily since 2013. In 2014,
and entertainment, pop culture, and the arts (46%),
the popular true-crime podcast Serial
while about four-in-ten (41%) turn to podcasts about
was released, becoming the fastest
politics and government. Other common topics podcast to reach 5 million downloads on
include science and technology, history, and true iTunes.
crime (such as Serial, which helped popularize
Years later, this was followed by
podcasts after its first season in 2014).
investments into podcasts by platforms
like Spotify, which paid at least $200
million for an exclusive deal with The Joe
Rogan Experience in 2020.
However, even as podcast audiences

continue to grow, some podcast hosts
have been accused of spreading
unsubstantiated false claims, and others
have drawn backlash for offensive
content.
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Many listeners also engage

About a third of podcast listeners have tried a lifestyle
with podcasts in ways other
change because of a podcast they listened to
than listening, such as
% of U.S. podcast listeners who say they have ___ because of a podcast they
watching a movie or reading a listened to
book because of a podcast,
following a podcast or its hosts Watched a movie, read a book, or listened to
music 60%
on social media, or purchasing Followed the social media account of a
52
a product that was advertised. podcast or its host(s)
About a third of listeners (36%) Made or tried a lifestyle change
(e.g. a workout, a new diet, or journaling) 36
even say they’ve tried out a
Bought something promoted or talked about
28
lifestyle change – such as a on a podcast
workout routine or journaling Joined an online discussion group for a
specific podcast 16
– because of a podcast they Donated to, volunteered for, or attended an
listened to. event for a political cause 13
Paid for a subscription to a podcast 13

Other types of engagement are
Bought merchandise 12
less common, including joining
online discussion groups, Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened to a podcast in the past
12 months.
engaging with political causes, Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
paying for a subscription or “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
buying merchandise. PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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Nearly nine-in-ten of those who hear news on podcasts expect it to be

accurate
When Americans do hear about news on the
Most listeners who get news on
podcasts they listen to, they largely view it as
podcasts expect it to be mostly accurate
accurate. Among those who hear news
Among U.S. podcast listeners who hear news discussed
discussed on podcasts, a large majority (87%) on the podcasts they listen to, % who say they expect
say they expect it to be mostly accurate, the news to be …
compared with about one-in-ten who say they Mostly Mostly
accurate inaccurate
expect it to be mostly inaccurate.
87% 11
This is a much higher level of trust than people

Among U.S. podcast listeners who hear news discussed
have in some other sources of news and on the podcasts they listen to, % who say they trust
information. For instance, in a slightly different that news …
question asked of Americans who get news from
social media in 2020, 39% of social media news More than news Less than news
they get from About the they get from
consumers said they expect the news they see other sources same other sources
there to be largely accurate, while a majority
31% 55 15
(59%) said they expect the news there to be
largely inaccurate.
Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened
to a podcast in the past 12 months. Respondents who did not
Similarly, most people who get news from answer not shown.
podcasts either say they trust that news more “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
than the news they get from other sources PEW RESEARCH CENTER
(31%) or trust it about the same (55%). Fewer
(15%) trust news from podcasts less than news
from other sources.
Many podcast listeners also say that the news they get there includes information they wouldn’t
have heard about elsewhere. Nearly three-quarters of Americans who get news on podcasts (73%)
say this happens at least sometimes, including three-in-ten who say they often hear unique news
on podcasts.
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Among all podcast listeners, just over half

(54%) say they hear guest or host opinions Just over half of listeners say the
about politics and government – including 25% podcasts they listen to include
who say they hear this type of content political opinions at least sometimes
extremely or fairly often and 29% who hear it % of U.S. podcast listeners who say the podcasts they
listen to include host or guest opinions about
sometimes. government and politics ...
Extremely Fairly
Many who listen to political opinions on often often Sometimes Rarely Never
podcasts say they largely agree with what 8% 17 29 23 22
they’re hearing. Among those who hear political
commentary, about half (47%) say these views
mostly line up with their own, while just 7% say Among podcast listeners who hear political opinions
on podcasts, % who say the opinions mostly …
the opposite. Still, almost half (46%) say they
are exposed to about an even mix of political Do not line
Line up with their Are about up with their
views. own opinions an even mix own opinions
47% 46 7
answer not shown.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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Republican podcast listeners more likely than Democrats to trust podcast

news and say it offers unique content
There are no huge differences between
Republicans and Democrats in the shares who
No large differences between
Republicans and Democrats in podcast
listen to podcasts and hear news on them. Just
listening, hearing news on podcasts
under half of Republicans and those who lean
% of U.S. adults who have listened to a podcast in the
Republican (46%) and just over half of past 12 months
Democrats and Democratic leaners (54%) say
they have listened to a podcast in the past year, Rep/Lean Rep 46%
and roughly two-thirds of listeners in each
party say they’ve heard news discussed on the Dem/Lean Dem 54
podcasts they listen to. % of U.S. podcast listeners who say news is discussed on
the podcasts they listen to
However, there are some notable differences
between podcast listeners in the two major Rep/Lean Rep 65%
political parties when it comes to their views of

Dem/Lean Dem 69
the news they hear on podcasts: Republicans
are more likely than Democrats to trust the Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened
news they hear on podcasts more than other to a podcast in the past 12 months.
sources and to report hearing news they “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere. PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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Among those who get news on

Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to
podcasts, nearly half of
trust the news they hear on podcasts more than other
Republicans (46%) say they sources and to say that news is unique
trust news on podcasts more
Among U.S. podcast listeners who hear news discussed on the podcasts they
than news they get from other listen to, % who say they trust that news …
sources, compared with about
More than Less than
one-in-five Democrats who feel news they get news they get
this way (19%). And nearly from other About from other
sources the same sources
twice as many Republicans
Rep/Lean Rep 46% 43% 10%
(40%) as Democrats (21%) also
say they have often heard news
on podcasts that they would Dem/Lean Dem 19 63 19
not have heard elsewhere.
Among U.S. podcast listeners who hear news discussed on the podcasts they
listen to, % who say they ___ hear news on podcasts they wouldn’t
Among podcast listeners have heard elsewhere
overall, Republicans are
somewhat more likely than Rarely/
Extremely/
Democrats to say they often Fairly often Sometimes Never
listen to podcasts that feature Rep/Lean Rep 40% 41% 18%
political opinions (31% vs. 21%)
and somewhat less likely to say Dem/Lean Dem 21 43 35
they listen to podcasts
connected to news Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened to a podcast in the past
12 months. Respondents who did not answer not shown.
organizations (14% vs. 26%). Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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Younger Americans more likely to listen to podcasts, and they turn to

podcasts for different reasons than older listeners
As is the case with many other digital habits,
Two-thirds of adults ages 18 to 29 have
younger adults are more likely than older age
listened to a podcast in the past year
groups to listen to podcasts – and by a wide
% of U.S. adults in each age group who have listened to a
margin. Two-thirds of Americans ages 18 to 29 podcast in the past 12 months
have listened to a podcast in the past 12
months, compared with just under a third Ages 18-29 67%
(28%) of those 65 and older.
30-49 58
Additionally, younger listeners tend to be more 50-64 42

likely than older listeners to be listening to 65+ 28
podcasts frequently. Among podcast listeners,
roughly half (48%) of those in the youngest Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
group say they listen at least a few times a week, PEW RESEARCH CENTER
versus about a quarter (27%) of those 65 and
older. That means about a third of all U.S.
adults under 30 (32%) report listening to podcasts at least a few times a week; the same is true of
just 8% of those in the oldest group.
Younger and older podcast listeners are equally likely to say they hear news discussed on the
podcasts they listen to. But because younger Americans are more likely to be listening to podcasts
in the first place, overall they are more likely than older Americans to be exposed to news from
podcasts.
The reasons that Americans turn to podcasts also differ by age. Most podcast listeners ages 18 to
29 say that entertainment (75%) or having something to listen to while doing something else
(70%) are major reasons they listen to podcasts. A far smaller share of listeners 65 and older cite
entertainment (30%) as a major reason they listen to podcasts, and even fewer (22%) listen to
podcasts in the background while doing other things.
Meanwhile, the most common major reason podcast listeners 65 and older cite for listening to
podcasts is learning (61%).
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
1. How Americans use and Roughly half of Americans have listened

to a podcast in the past year
engage with podcasts
% of U.S. adults who say they listen to podcasts …
About half of adults in the United States (49%)
say they have listened to a podcast in the past 49% listened
to a podcast in the
12 months, according to the new survey. This A few times past 12 months
a week or
finding follows previous Pew Research Center more
Have not
analyses showing that podcast listening has listened to a 20%
steadily increased throughout the past decade. podcast in
the past 12 A few times/
months Once a month
51% 17%
One-in-five podcast listeners – which is about
10% of all U.S. adults – are avid listeners,
Less often
listening to podcasts nearly every day. Another 12%
22% of podcast listeners listen a few times a
No answer <1%
week, while a quarter report listening a few
times a month. Altogether, about two-thirds of “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
podcast listeners (66%) – or about one-third of PEW RESEARCH CENTER
all adults (32%) – listen to podcasts at least a
few times a month.
One-in-five podcast listeners listen to podcasts nearly
A majority of those who say every day
they have listened to a podcast % of U.S. podcast listeners who say they listen to podcasts ...
in the past year (58%) also said
they are listening to two or Nearly A few times A few times Once a month or
every day a week a month less
more podcasts currently. This
includes 19% who say they are 20% 22 25 34
listening to four or more
podcasts. A similar percentage About six-in-ten podcast listeners currently are
(18%) say they are currently listening to at least two podcasts
listening to one podcast, and % of U.S. podcast listeners who are currently listening to __ podcasts
about a quarter (23%) say they
are not listening to any Four or None right
more Three Two One now
podcasts right now.
19% 13 26 18 23
Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened to a podcast in the past
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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Podcast listeners most often turn to podcasts for entertainment,

education and diversion
About nine-in-ten podcast listeners say learning (88%) and entertainment (87%) are reasons they
listen to podcasts, including more than half who say these are major reasons they tune in (55% and
60%, respectively). Roughly
eight-in-ten podcast listeners
Learning and entertainment are among top reasons
(81%) say that simply having
Americans listen to podcasts
something to listen to in the
% of U.S. podcast listeners who say each is a ___ they listen to podcasts
background while they do
something else is a reason they Major Minor
reason reason NET
listen, with about half (52%)
For entertainment 60% 27% 87%
saying it is a major reason.
To learn 55 33 88
Hearing others’ opinions,
To have something to listen to
keeping up with current events, while doing something else
52 29 81
and seeking encouragement or
To hear other people's opinions 30 41 71
inspiration are less common
reasons people listen to To stay up to date about current 29 34 64
podcasts, but most listeners events
still say these are at least minor For encouragement or inspiration 27 32 59

reasons they do so. For Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened to a podcast in the past
instance, nearly two-thirds of 12 months.
U.S. podcast listeners (64%) “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
say staying up to date about PEW RESEARCH CENTER
current events is a reason they

tune in, although far fewer
(29%) describe this as a major reason.
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Podcast listeners hear about many different topics, with comedy and
entertainment atop the list
Podcast listeners report listening to podcasts on Comedy and entertainment among most
a wide variety of topics. The survey asked common podcast topics for listeners
podcast listeners if they regularly listen to % of U.S. podcast listeners who say they regularly listen
podcasts about 12 different subjects; 10 of these to podcasts about …
topics capture the attention of at least a quarter
Comedy 47%
of podcast listeners, ranging from politics and
Entertainment, pop
comedy to finance and religion. And about half culture, and the arts
46
of podcast listeners (53%) say they regularly Politics and government 41
hear about four or more topics on the podcasts
Science and technology 40
they listen to.
History 40
Nearly half of podcast listeners say they True crime 34

regularly listen to podcasts about comedy (47%)
Self-help and relationships 32
or entertainment, pop culture and the arts
(46%). And about four-in-ten say they turn to Money and finance 31
podcasts about politics and government (41%), Religion and spirituality 30

science and technology (40%) or history (40%).
Health and fitness 27
Sports 22
About a third of podcast listeners listen to
podcasts about true crime (34%), self-help and Race and ethnicity 15
relationships (32%) or money and finance
(31%), and three-in-ten tune in to hear about to a podcast in the past 12 months.
religion and spirituality. Roughly a quarter or “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
fewer regularly listen to podcasts about health PEW RESEARCH CENTER
and fitness (27%), sports (22%) or race and
ethnicity (15%).
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Six-in-ten podcast listeners have watched a movie, read a book or listened

to music because of a podcast they listened to
Many podcast listeners also say
that they have engaged with the About a third of podcast listeners have tried a lifestyle
podcasts they listen to in other change because of a podcast they listened to
ways than merely listening – % of U.S. podcast listeners who say they have ___ because of a podcast they
listened to
whether that is following a
podcast’s recommendations, Watched a movie, read a book, or listened to
60%
following a host on social music
media or buying something Followed the social media account of a
podcast or its host(s) 52
advertised on a podcast. Six-in- Made or tried a lifestyle change
36
ten podcast listeners say they (e.g. a workout, a new diet, or journaling)
have watched a movie, read a Bought something promoted or talked about
28
on a podcast
book or listened to music Joined an online discussion group for a
16
because of a podcast they specific podcast
listened to. And about half of Donated to, volunteered for, or attended an
event for a political cause 13
podcast listeners (52%) say
Paid for a subscription to a podcast 13
they follow a podcast or its host
on social media. Bought merchandise 12
About a third of podcast 12 months.
listeners (36%) say they’ve Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
tried out a change to their
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
lifestyle because of a podcast,
such as a workout routine, a
diet or journaling. And 28% have bought something promoted or discussed on a podcast.
Other types of engagement – such as joining online discussion groups, engaging with political
causes, paying for a subscription or buying merchandise – are less common, although at least one-
in-ten podcast listeners say they have done each of these things because of a podcast they listened
to.
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While the act of listening to podcasts may often be done alone, there are several ways that podcasts
are a social experience. For example, most listeners say they recommend podcasts to someone
else, discuss the content they hear with others,
and apply things they hear in podcasts to other Many podcast listeners have
parts of their lives. recommended a podcast or been
recommended one by friends or family
Not only do two-thirds of podcast listeners say % of U.S. podcast listeners who say they …
they have recommended a podcast to someone
else (67%), but six-in-ten have listened to a Have recommended a
67%
podcast to someone else
podcast that was recommended by a friend or
Have listened to a podcast
family member, and about a third (36%) say recommended by friends or 60
they listen to at least one podcast that a friend family
or family member listens to. Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened
to a podcast in the past 12 months.
Moreover, roughly two-thirds of podcast “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
listeners (68%) say they discuss what they PEW RESEARCH CENTER
heard on a podcast with others at least

sometimes, including 24% who do this often.
About a third of podcast listeners listen
to at least one of the same podcasts as
friends or family, and most discuss
podcast content at least sometimes
% of U.S. podcast listeners who …
Listen to any of the

same podcasts as
friends or family Do not Not sure
36% 27 38
% of U.S. podcast listeners who discuss something they

heard on a podcast with others …
Extremely/
Very often Sometimes Rarely/Never
24% 44 32
answer not shown.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
2. Americans’ experience with news on

podcasts Most podcast listeners
hear about news on the
Two-thirds of adults who have listened to a podcast in the past podcasts they listen to
12 months say they have ever heard news discussed on those % of U.S. podcast listeners who say
___ on podcasts they listen to
podcasts. Put another way, a third of all U.S. adults have been
exposed to at least some news through a podcast they listen to.
News is not
discussed
33% News is
discussed
67%
No
answer
<1%
Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are

those who have listened to a podcast in
the past 12 months.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted
Dec. 5-11, 2022.
“Podcasts as a Source of News and
Information”
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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Many podcast listeners hear

Podcast listeners turn to different formats of news
news through one or more of
podcasts
three different types of news-
% of U.S. podcast listeners who say they listen to podcasts that primarily …
related formats. About half or
more of podcast listeners listen A few times a A few times a
to a podcast that explains a week or more month or less Never
Explain a topic or issue in
topic in the news in depth the news in depth 19% 38% 9%
(57%), features a host or hosts 57%
offering their opinions about Feature a host(s) talking
about their opinions about 17 36 13
issues in the news (53%), or the news
summarizes the major news 53
stories of the day (51%). Summarize the major news

stories of the day 20 30 16
51
No matter the format, a
relatively small percentage of Note: The 33% of podcast listeners who say they do not hear news discussed on the
podcasts they listen to were not asked these questions. “Podcast listeners” in this report
podcast listeners (20%) say are those who have listened to a podcast in the past 12 months.
they listen to podcasts “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
connected to a news PEW RESEARCH CENTER
organization, such as a
newspaper or a news website.
(About the same share, 21%, say they are not One-in-five podcast listeners say they
sure whether the podcasts they listen to are listen to a podcast connected to a news
connected to a news organization.) The organization
majority (59%) say that as far as they know, % of U.S. podcast listeners who say any of the podcasts
they don’t listen to any podcasts connected to a they listen to are connected to a news organization, such
as a newspaper or news websites
news organization, suggesting that much of the
news people are exposed to on podcasts could
Yes No Not sure
be coming from nontraditional sources.
20% 59 21
answer not shown.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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When listeners hear news on a podcast, they

generally offer a very positive assessment of the Most Americans who have heard about
accuracy of that information. Almost nine-in- news on a podcast expect it to be
ten podcast listeners who hear news discussed mostly accurate
on the podcasts they listen to (87%) say they Among U.S. podcast listeners who hear news discussed
on the podcasts they listen to, % who say they expect
expect that news to be mostly accurate, and the news to be …
most say they trust it about as much as the
Mostly Mostly
news they get from other sources (55%) or even accurate inaccurate
more than the news they get from other sources 87% 11
(31%). A considerably smaller share (15%) say
they trust the news they get from podcasts less Among U.S. podcast listeners who hear news on
than the news they get from other sources. podcasts, % who say they trust that news …
More than news Less than news

A large share of those who get news on podcasts they get from About the they get from
other sources same other sources
also say they encounter news on that platform
that they would not get from other news 31% 55 15
sources. In all, about three-quarters of listeners

who hear news on podcasts say they hear this to a podcast in the past 12 months. Respondents who did not
answer not shown.
kind of unique news extremely or fairly often Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
(30%) or sometimes (43%). Only about a “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
quarter (27%) say they rarely or never get news PEW RESEARCH CENTER
on podcasts that they would not have heard

about elsewhere in the media ecosystem.
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Just over half of podcast listeners say they hear political opinions on the
podcasts they listen to
One style of podcast focuses on hosts’ opinions
on current events – in some cases echoing the
style of talk radio or cable TV news. Slightly Just over half of listeners say the
more than half of podcast listeners say they podcasts they listen to include
hear hosts or guests presenting their opinions
political opinions at least sometimes
% of U.S. podcast listeners who say the podcasts they
on government and politics.
listen to include host or guest opinions about
government and politics ...
Among all podcast listeners, 54% say they at
Extremely Fairly
least sometimes listen to podcasts that include often often Sometimes Rarely Never
hosts’ or guests’ political opinions, including a 8% 17 29 23 22
quarter of listeners who say they extremely or
fairly often hear this type of content. An
additional 23% say they rarely hear this type of Among podcast listeners who hear political opinions
on podcasts, % who say the opinions mostly …
commentary. The rest (22%) say they never
hear political opinions on the podcasts they Do not line
Line up with their Are about up with their
listen to. own opinions an even mix own opinions
47% 46 7
Many who hear political opinions on podcasts
say they largely agree with what they’re hearing. Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened
About half of podcast listeners who have heard to a podcast in the past 12 months. Respondents who did not
answer not shown.
opinions on government and politics say they Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
line up with their own opinions (47%), “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
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compared with only 7% who indicate that those
opinions don’t line up with their own. At the
same time, 46% say they hear an even mix of opinions from the hosts, some of which match their
opinions and some of which do not.
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3. How Republicans and Democrats engage with podcasts

There are broad similarities between the two
Little difference between parties in
major political parties in the United States in
listening to podcasts or hearing news
terms of the share who are listening to podcasts. on them
But once there, Republicans and Democrats
% of U.S. adults who have listened to a podcast in the
often have quite different experiences. past 12 months
Just under half of Republicans and independents Rep/Lean Rep 46%

who lean Republican (46%) say they have
listened to a podcast in the past 12 months. The Dem/Lean Dem 54
share of Democrats and Democratic leaners who

% of U.S. podcast listeners who say news is discussed on
listen is slightly higher (54%), but about the the podcasts they listen to
same portion of listeners in each party say they
listen at least a few times a week (42% of Rep/Lean Rep 65%
Republican listeners and 41% of Democratic
Dem/Lean Dem 69
listeners). And Democratic and Republican
listeners are also about equally likely to say they Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened
hear about news on the podcasts they listen to. to a podcast in the past 12 months.
However, there are differences between PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Republicans and Democrats in some of their

experiences with the news they hear. For example, Republicans who listen to podcasts are more
likely to trust the news they hear on podcasts more than news they get from other sources, to
report hearing things they wouldn’t hear elsewhere, and to hear political opinions.
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Among those who hear news on

the podcasts they listen to, Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to
majorities of both parties trust the news they hear on podcasts more than other
expect that news to be largely sources and to say that news is unique
accurate (88% of Democrats Among U.S. podcast listeners who hear news discussed on the podcasts they
listen to, % who say they trust that news …
and 87% of Republicans say
this). However, nearly half of
More than news Less than news
Republican listeners who hear they get from About they get from
news discussed say they trust other sources the same other sources
the news they get on podcasts Rep/Lean Rep 46% 43% 10%
more than the news they get
from other sources (46%, vs. Dem/Lean Dem 19 63 19
19% of Democrats). In
addition, Republican listeners Among U.S. podcast listeners who hear news discussed on the podcasts they
are less likely to say they listen listen to, % who say they ___ hear news on podcasts they wouldn’t
have heard elsewhere
to podcasts connected to a
news organization (14%, vs.
26% of Democratic listeners). Extremely/ Rarely/
Fairly often Sometimes Never
Rep/Lean Rep 40% 41% 18%
These sentiments may reflect a
general distrust of many
Dem/Lean Dem 21 43 35
traditional media sources
among Republicans overall. % of U.S. podcast listeners who say the podcasts they listen to include host
or guest opinions about government and politics ...
And 40% of Republicans who
hear news on podcasts say they Extremely/
Fairly often Sometimes Rarely/Never
extremely or fairly often hear
news there that they wouldn’t Rep/Lean Rep 31% 29% 40%
have heard elsewhere, while

about half as many Democrats Dem/Lean Dem 21 30 48
say this (21%).
Among podcast listeners Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
overall, Republicans who listen
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to podcasts are also somewhat
more likely to be listening to
content with political opinions. About three-in-ten podcast listeners who are Republicans (31%)
say they listen to podcasts that include a host’s or guest’s opinions about government and politics,
vs. 21% of Democratic listeners.
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Within the parties, more ideological partisans

are more likely to hear political opinions on People at far ends of the political
podcasts. For example, among Republican spectrum most likely to say that the
podcast listeners, self-described conservatives political opinions they hear on podcasts
are more likely than moderate or liberal mostly line up with their own views
Republicans to report listening to podcasts that Among U.S. podcast listeners who hear political opinions
feature political opinions (36% and 22%, on podcasts, % who say these opinions mostly line up
with their views
respectively, say they hear this content
extremely or fairly often), and the same is true 43%
Rep/Lean Rep
of liberal Democrats when compared with
moderate or conservative Democrats (24% vs. Conservative 52
17%). Moderate/Liberal 24
Among those who hear political opinions on

podcasts, Democrats are modestly more likely Dem/Lean Dem 51%
than Republicans (51% vs. 43%) to say that the
Conservative/Moderate 30
opinions they hear line up with their own. This
is especially common among liberal Democrats Liberal 66
and conservative Republicans. Liberal

Democrats (66%) are roughly twice as likely as to a podcast in the past 12 months.
conservative or moderate Democrats (30%) to Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
say that the political opinions they hear on PEW RESEARCH CENTER
podcasts line up with their own. A similar
pattern exists among Republicans:
Conservative Republicans (52%) also are roughly twice as likely as liberal or moderate Republicans
(24%) to say the opinions they hear align with their own.
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4. Podcast use among different age groups

Younger adults in the United States often use digital devices and media at higher rates than older
adults, and they are much more inclined than their elders to engage with podcasts.
Two-thirds of adults under 30 say they have Two-thirds of adults 18 to 29 have

listened to a podcast in the past 12 months, as listened to a podcast in the last year
do almost six-in-ten respondents ages 30 to 49 % of U.S. adults in each age group who have listened to a
(58%). Listening drops off substantially among
older groups, to 42% among those ages 50 to 64
Ages 18-29 67%
and 28% among Americans 65 and older.
30-49 58
Younger groups of U.S. adults (ages 18 to 29
50-64 42
and 30 to 49) also listen to podcasts more often
than those ages 50 to 64 and 65 and older – 65+ 28
with about half of all podcast listeners ages 18
to 29 (48%) and 45% of those 30 to 49 saying And about half of podcast listeners ages
they listen at least a few times a week. That 18 to 29 listen to a podcast at least a
figure drops to 35% of those 50 to 64 and 27% few times a week
of those 65 and older. % of U.S. podcast listeners in each age group who listen
to a podcast at least a few times a week
Younger adults also listen to more podcasts, on
average. Nearly two-thirds of podcast listeners Ages 18-29 48%
under age 50 (63%) say they are currently

30-49 45
listening to two or more podcasts, compared
with 54% of listeners 50 to 64 and 40% of those 50-64 35
65 and older.
65+ 27

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While Americans who have Younger adults are more likely to have listened to a
received more education are podcast in the past year across all education levels
more likely to listen to % of U.S. adults who have listened to a podcast in the past 12 months
podcasts, age differences
persist across all education Ages 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+
levels. For example, about 79

eight-in-ten adults under 30 70
64
59% 58 57
with a college degree (79%)
44% 40 39
have listened to a podcast in 29% 29
the past 12 months, followed by 19%
70% of college graduates ages

30 to 49, 57% of those 50 to 64 High school or less Some college College+
and 39% of those 65 and older.
(Among all adults – regardless “Podcasts as a Source of News and Information”
of age – 62% of those with a PEW RESEARCH CENTER
bachelor’s degree have listened

to a podcast in the past year,
compared with 49% of those with some college and 37% with a high school diploma or less.)
A similar pattern holds true for adults at other education levels, such as those who attended some
college and those who finished with a high school diploma or less.
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Americans differ by age in why they Learning is the most common major
listen to podcasts reason older podcast listeners cite for
turning to podcasts
The podcast experience is also profoundly
% of U.S. podcast listeners in each age group who say a
different for younger and older adults. Younger major reason they listen to podcasts is ...
listeners are more likely than their elders to say
Ages 18-29 75%
they listen for entertainment or to have
For 30-49 65%
something to listen to while doing something entertainment
50-64 47%
else, for example, while older listeners are more 65+ 30%
likely to say they turn to podcasts to stay up to
date about current events. To have something
18-29 70
to listen to while 30-49 58
doing something 50-64 38
Three-quarters of podcast listeners ages 18 to else 65+ 22
29 say entertainment is a major reason they
listen to podcasts, compared with just 30% of 18-29 50
those 65 and older. And 70% of those youngest 30-49 57
To learn
podcast listeners say having something to listen 50-64 56
65+ 61
to in the background is a major reason they
listen to podcasts. This share falls steadily in 18-29 34
older age groups, down to 22% among podcast To hear other 30-49 29
listeners 65 and older. people’s opinions 50-64 27
65+ 33
At least half of podcast listeners across all age

18-29 25
groups say learning is a major reason they To stay up to 30-49 27
listen to podcasts, but this is the most common date about
50-64 34
current events
reason cited by those 65 and older, at 61%. And 65+ 38
older podcast listeners are more likely than
18-29 23
those 18 to 29 and 30 to 49 to say staying up to
For encouragement 30-49 28
date with current events is a major reason they or inspiration 50-64 26
listen to podcasts: About four-in-ten listeners 65+ 30
65 and older (38%) say this, compared with a
quarter of those 18 to 29. to a podcast in the past 12 months.
The topics preferred by each age group also
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
differ, with younger listeners more likely to
listen to podcasts about entertainment and
older listeners turning more to podcasts about politics and government.
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Younger listeners engage with and take recommendations from podcasts

more than older listeners
Younger groups of podcast listeners also are
Podcast listeners under 50 are more
more likely than their elders to engage with
likely than older counterparts to follow
podcasts in different ways, such as by following
podcast hosts on social media or try a
the podcast or its host(s) on social media, or by
lifestyle change because of a podcast
trying something (like a movie or a lifestyle
% of U.S. podcast listeners in each age group who say
change) because of something they heard on a they have ____ because of a podcast they listened to
podcast. Ages
18-29 30-49 50-64 65+
Watched a movie, read
For example, about four-in-ten podcast a book, or listened to 64% 63% 57% 50%
music
listeners ages 18 to 29 (40%) and 30 to 49
(41%) say they have made or tried a lifestyle Followed the social
media account of a 65 57 42 24
change because of something they heard on a podcast or its host(s)
podcast, compared with 32% of those 50 to 64 Made or tried a lifestyle
change (e.g. a workout 40 41 32 22
and 22% of those 65 and older. routine, a new diet, or
journaling)
Bought something
The gap between age groups is even wider when because it was 29 31 27 19
promoted or talked
it comes to the share who follow the social about on a podcast
media account of a podcast or host: A clear
Joined an online
majority of podcast listeners in the two discussion group or
social media group 22 18 13 5
youngest age groups do this (65% of those ages dedicated to a specific
podcast
18 to 29 and 57% of those 30 to 49), compared
Donated to,
with 42% of those ages 50 to 64 and 24% of volunteered for, or
attended an event for a 11 14 14 11
those 65 and older. (Younger adults are also political candidate or
more likely to use social media in general.) cause
Paid for a subscription 19 14 10 6
to a podcast
Among podcast listeners, adults under 50 are
Bought a podcast's
13 14 12 3
more likely than their elders to report joining merchandise
an online discussion group related to a podcast Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are those who have listened
to a podcast in the past 12 months.
they listened to. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.
Younger podcast listeners also are more likely PEW RESEARCH CENTER
to say they have recommended a podcast to

someone else. About seven-in-ten podcast listeners ages 18 to 49 (72%) say they have done this,
compared with 59% of podcast listeners 50 and older.
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Appendix: Detailed tables of demographic profiles and party

identification of podcast listeners
Demographic profiles and party

identification of podcast listeners
% of U.S. adults in each group who have listened to a
Total 49%
Men 51
Women 46
Ages 18-29 67
30-49 58
50-64 42
65+ 28
White 47
Black 46
Hispanic 54
Asian* 52
High school or less 37

Some college 49
College+ 62
Less than $30K 44

$30K-$79,999 45
$80K or more 59
Rep/Lean Rep 46
Dem/Lean Dem 54
*Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers
only.
Note: White, Black and Asian adults include those who report being
only one race and are not Hispanic; Hispanic adults are of any race.
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Demographic profiles and party identification of

podcast listeners, by listening frequency
% of U.S. podcast listeners in each group that listen to podcasts …
Nearly every A few times A few times Once a Less No
day a week a month month often answer
Total 20% 22% 25% 9% 25% <1%
Men 23 25 23 9 20 <1
Women 16 18 28 9 28 -
Ages 18-29 23 25 23 9 20 -
30-49 22 24 24 9 21 <1
50-64 17 17 28 8 29 -
65+ 14 13 28 10 35 -
White 23 20 23 9 25 -
Black 15 25 30 10 21 -
Hispanic 17 21 28 9 25 -
High school or less 15 22 29 10 24 -

Some college 19 21 24 7 28 -
College+ 24 22 23 10 22 <1
Less than $30K 15 20 26 9 31 -

$30K-$79,999 20 22 25 9 24 -
$80K or more 23 22 24 9 21 <1
Rep/Lean Rep 20 22 25 7 26 -
Dem/Lean Dem 20 21 25 11 23 <1
Note: White and Black adults include those who report being only one race and are not
Hispanic; Hispanic adults are of any race.
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podcast listeners, by number of podcasts currently
listening to
% of U.S. podcast listeners in each group who are currently listening to ___
different podcasts
None Four or No
right now One Two Three more answer
Total 23% 18% 26% 13% 19% 1%
Men 20 18 26 12 24 <1
Women 26 19 26 14 15 1
Ages 18-29 18 19 30 13 20 -
30-49 19 18 26 14 24 1
50-64 28 17 24 15 15 1
65+ 39 19 20 9 11 1
White 24 18 23 13 21 1
Black 22 17 31 11 17 1
Hispanic 20 20 31 15 13 <1
High school or less 22 22 29 12 14 1

Some college 27 16 26 12 19 <1
College+ 21 17 24 15 23 <1
Less than $30K 28 18 28 11 15 1

$30K-$79,999 21 18 28 13 19 1
$80K or more 21 18 24 14 22 <1
Rep/Lean Rep 25 18 26 13 19 <1

Dem/Lean Dem 22 18 26 14 19 1
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Demographic profiles and party identification of podcast listeners, by podcast topic

% of U.S. podcast listeners in each group who regularly listen to podcasts about …
Entertainment,
pop culture, and Politics and Science and
Comedy the arts government technology History True crime
Total 47% 46% 41% 40% 40% 34%
Men 48 46 48 48 42 23
Women 44 46 34 31 37 44
Ages 18-29 59 61 33 39 36 41
30-49 51 46 37 42 41 35
50-64 36 37 49 40 41 33
65+ 25 27 54 37 42 15
White 44 40 42 38 39 31
Black 57 65 45 39 40 36
Hispanic 53 56 35 43 45 43

Some college 49 49 38 40 38 33
College+ 40 41 43 40 38 27
Less than $30K 56 57 39 43 50 46

$30K-$79,999 49 47 38 38 38 35
$80K or more 41 40 45 42 37 27
Rep/Lean Rep 41 35 42 35 37 33
Dem/Lean Dem 50 55 41 45 42 35
Note: White and Black adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic; Hispanic adults are of any race. Only the six
most-listened-to topics are shown here.
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Demographic profiles and party identification of podcast listeners, by podcast topic,

continued
% of U.S. podcast listeners in each group who regularly listen to podcasts about …
Self-help and Money and Religion and Health and Race and
relationships finance spirituality fitness Sports ethnicity
Total 32% 31% 30% 27% 22% 15%
Men 25 37 25 25 33 15
Women 40 26 36 29 11 15
Ages 18-29 38 32 25 24 24 19
30-49 32 33 29 29 23 16
50-64 32 32 35 28 22 14
65+ 21 21 38 24 13 8
White 25 25 27 21 17 9
Black 57 51 43 44 40 43
Hispanic 40 41 34 34 28 19

Some college 32 30 28 24 19 14
College+ 30 30 27 25 19 15
Less than $30K 43 32 37 36 21 23

$30K-$79,999 32 30 31 27 25 15
$80K or more 27 33 26 24 20 13
Rep/Lean Rep 31 36 42 29 20 7
Dem/Lean Dem 34 28 21 25 23 22
Note: White and Black adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic; Hispanic adults are of any race. See previous
table for other topics asked about.
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identification of podcast listeners that
hear news discussed
% of U.S. podcast listeners in each group who say news
ever gets discussed on the podcasts they listen to
Total 67%
Men 76
Women 58
Ages 18-29 65
30-49 69
50-64 68
65+ 62
White 67
Black 76
Hispanic 64

Some college 65
College+ 70
Less than $30K 65

$30K-$79,999 64
$80K or more 71
Rep/Lean Rep 65
Dem/Lean Dem 69
Note: White and Black adults include those who report being only
one race and are not Hispanic; Hispanic adults are of any race.
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podcast listeners that listen to specific formats of
news podcasts
% of U.S. podcast listeners in each demographic group who say they listen to
podcasts that PRIMARILY ___ at least a few times a week or more
Feature a host(s)
Summarize the Explain a topic or talking about their
major news stories issue in the news opinions about the
of the day in-depth news
Total 20% 19% 17%
Men 25 25 23
Women 15 13 11
Ages 18-29 20 21 18
30-49 19 17 16
50-64 23 20 18
65+ 20 20 18
White 20 20 17
Black 22 24 22
Hispanic 19 15 11
High school or less 26 23 21

Some college 17 17 15
College+ 19 18 16
Less than $30K 24 21 18

$30K-$79,999 18 18 16
$80K or more 21 20 18
Rep/Lean Rep 22 22 23
Dem/Lean Dem 19 17 12
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identification of podcast listeners that
listen to a podcast connected to a news
organization
% of U.S. podcast listeners who say, as far as they know,
any of the podcasts they listen to are connected to a news
organization, like a newspaper or news website
Total 20%
Men 23
Women 17
Ages 18-29 16
30-49 21
50-64 21
65+ 24
White 21
Black 21
Hispanic 18

Some college 16
College+ 26
Less than $30K 18

$30K-$79,999 15
$80K or more 25
Rep/Lean Rep 14
Dem/Lean Dem 26
Note: White and Black adults include those who report being only
one race and are not Hispanic; Hispanic adults are of any race.
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Acknowledgments
Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. This is the
latest report in Pew Research Center’s ongoing investigation of the state of news, information and
journalism in the digital age, a research program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, with
generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. This report is a collaborative
effort based on the input and analysis of the Center’s journalism and media research team,
communications, design, digital and editorial teams. Find related reports online at journalism.org.
Research Team Communications and Web Publishing

Elisa Shearer, Senior Researcher Sogand Afkari, Communications Manager
Galen Stocking, Senior Computational Andrew Grant, Communications Associate
Social Scientist Rachel Weisel, Associate Director,
Katerina Eva Matsa, Director, News and Communications
Information Research Sara Atske, Associate Digital Producer
Jacob Liedke, Research Assistant
Shreenita Ghosh, Research Associate Editorial and Graphic Design
Sarah Naseer, Research Assistant Michael Lipka, Editorial Manager, Religion
Christopher St. Aubin, Research Assistant Research
Mark Jurkowitz, Senior Writer David Kent, Senior Copy Editor
Jeffrey Gottfried, Senior Researcher Margaret Porteus, Former Information
Naomi Forman-Katz, Research Assistant Graphics Designer
Emily Tomasik, Research Assistant
Peter Bell, Design Director
Andrea Caumont, Digital Engagement
Manager
Isaac Mei, Associate Social Media Strategist
Chris Baronavski, Senior Web Designer
© Pew Research Center 2023
www.pewresearch.org
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Methodology
The American Trends Panel survey methodology
Overview
The American Trends Panel (ATP), created by Pew Research Center, is a nationally representative
panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. Panelists participate via self-administered web surveys.
Panelists who do not have internet access at home are provided with a tablet and wireless internet
connection. Interviews are conducted in both English and Spanish. The panel is being managed by
Ipsos.
Data in this report is drawn from the panel wave conducted from Dec. 5 to Dec. 11, 2022, and
included oversamples of Hispanic men, non-Hispanic Black men and non-Hispanic Asian adults
to provide more precise estimates of the opinions and experiences of these smaller demographic
subgroups. These oversampled groups are weighted back to reflect their correct proportions in the
population. A total of 5,132 panelists responded out of 5,758 who were sampled, for a response
rate of 89%. The cumulative response rate accounting for nonresponse to the recruitment surveys
and attrition is 4%. The break-
off rate among panelists who American Trends Panel recruitment surveys
logged on to the survey and Active
panelists
completed at least one item is Recruitment dates Mode Invited Joined remaining
1%. The margin of sampling Landline/
Jan. 23 to March 16, 2014 cell RDD 9,809 5,338 1,504
error for the full sample of Landline/
5,132 respondents is plus or Aug. 27 to Oct. 4, 2015 cell RDD 6,004 2,976 881
Landline/
minus 1.7 percentage points. April 25 to June 4, 2017 cell RDD 3,905 1,628 434
Aug. 8 to Oct. 31, 2018 ABS 9,396 8,778 4,119
Panel recruitment Aug. 19 to Nov. 30, 2019 ABS 5,900 4,720 1,476
June 1 to July 19, 2020;
The ATP was created in 2014, Feb. 10 to March 31, 2021 ABS 3,197 2,812 1,542
with the first cohort of May 29 to July 7
Sept. 16 to Nov. 1, 2021 ABS 1,329 1,162 790
panelists invited to join the
May 24 to Sept. 29, 2022 ABS 3,354 2,869 1,703
panel at the end of a large, Total 42,894 30,283 12,449
national, landline and
Note: RDD is random-digit dial; ABS is address-based sampling. Approximately once per year,
cellphone random-digit-dial panelists who have not participated in multiple consecutive waves or who did not complete
an annual profiling survey are removed from the panel. Panelists also become inactive if
survey that was conducted in they ask to be removed from the panel.
both English and Spanish. PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Two additional recruitments
were conducted using the
same method in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Across these three surveys, a total of 19,718 adults
were invited to join the ATP, of whom 9,942 (50%) agreed to participate.
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In August 2018, the ATP switched from telephone to address-based recruitment. Invitations were
sent to a stratified, random sample of households selected from the U.S. Postal Service’s Delivery
Sequence File. Sampled households receive mailings asking a randomly selected adult to complete
a survey online. A question at the end of the survey asks if the respondent is willing to join the
ATP. In 2020 and 2021 another stage was added to the recruitment. Households that did not
respond to the online survey were sent a paper version of the questionnaire, $5 and a postage-paid
return envelope. A subset of the adults who returned the paper version of the survey were invited
to join the ATP. This subset of adults received a follow-up mailing with a $10 pre-incentive and
invitation to join the ATP.
Across the five address-based recruitments, a total of 23,176 adults were invited to join the ATP, of
whom 20,341 agreed to join the panel and completed an initial profile survey. In each household,
one adult was selected and asked to go online to complete a survey, at the end of which they were
invited to join the panel. Of the 30,283 individuals who have ever joined the ATP, 12,449 remained
active panelists and continued to receive survey invitations at the time this survey was conducted.
The U.S. Postal Service’s Delivery Sequence File has been estimated to cover as much as 98% of
the population, although some studies suggest that the coverage could be in the low 90% range.1
The American Trends Panel never uses breakout routers or chains that direct respondents to
additional surveys.
Sample design
The overall target population for this survey was non-institutionalized persons ages 18 and older
living in the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. It featured a stratified random sample from the
ATP in which Hispanic men, non-Hispanic Black men and non-Hispanic Asian adults were
selected with certainty. The remaining panelists were sampled at rates designed to ensure that the
share of respondents in each stratum is proportional to its share of the U.S. adult population to the
greatest extent possible. Respondent weights are adjusted to account for differential probabilities
of selection as described in the Weighting section below.
Questionnaire development and testing

The questionnaire was developed by Pew Research Center in consultation with Ipsos. The web
program was rigorously tested on both PC and mobile devices by the Ipsos project management
team and Pew Research Center researchers. The Ipsos project management team also populated
test data that was analyzed in SPSS to ensure the logic and randomizations were working as
intended before launching the survey.
Incentives
1 AAPOR Task Force on Address-based Sampling. 2016. “AAPOR Report: Address-based Sampling.”
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All respondents were offered a post-paid incentive for their participation. Respondents could
choose to receive the post-paid incentive in the form of a check or a gift code to Amazon.com or
could choose to decline the incentive. Incentive amounts ranged from $5 to $20 depending on
whether the respondent belongs to a part of the population that is harder or easier to reach.
Differential incentive amounts were designed to increase panel survey participation among groups
that traditionally have low survey response propensities.
Data collection protocol

The data collection field period for this survey was Dec. 5 to Dec. 11, 2022. Postcard notifications
were mailed to all ATP panelists with a known residential address on Dec. 5.
Invitations were sent out in two separate launches: soft launch and full launch. Sixty panelists
were included in the soft launch, which began with an initial invitation sent on Dec. 5. The ATP
panelists chosen for the initial soft launch were known responders who had completed previous
ATP surveys within one day of receiving their invitation. All remaining English- and Spanish-
speaking panelists were included in the full launch and were sent an invitation on Dec. 6, 2022.
All panelists with an email address received an email invitation and up to two email reminders if
they did not respond to the survey. All ATP panelists that consented to SMS messages received an
SMS invitation and up to two SMS reminders.
Invitation and reminder dates, ATP Wave 118

Soft launch Full launch
Initial invitation December 5, 2022 December 6, 2022
First reminder December 8, 2022 December 8, 2022
Final reminder December 10, 2022 December 10, 2022
Data quality checks

To ensure high-quality data, the Center’s researchers performed data quality checks to identify any
respondents showing clear patterns of satisficing. This includes checking for very high rates of
leaving questions blank, as well as always selecting the first or last answer presented. As a result of
this checking, five ATP respondents were removed from the survey dataset prior to weighting and
analysis.
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39
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Weighting
The ATP data is weighted in a multistep process that accounts for multiple stages of sampling and
nonresponse that occur at different points in the survey process. First, each panelist begins with a
base weight that reflects their probability of selection for their initial recruitment survey. These
weights are then rescaled and
adjusted to account for American Trends Panel weighting dimensions
changes in the design of ATP Variable Benchmark source
recruitment surveys from year Age (detailed) 2021 American Community Survey
Age x Gender (ACS)
to year. Finally, the weights
Education x Gender
are calibrated to align with the Education x Age
population benchmarks in the Race/Ethnicity x Education
Born inside vs. outside the U.S. among
accompanying table to correct Hispanics and Asian Americans
Years lived in the U.S.
for nonresponse to
Census region x Metro/Non-metro 2021 CPS March Supplement
recruitment surveys and panel
Volunteerism 2022 American Trends Panel Annual
attrition. If only a subsample Profile Survey/2019 CPS Volunteering
& Civic Life Supplement
of panelists was invited to
Voter registration 2018 CPS Voting and Registration
participate in the wave, this Supplement
weight is adjusted to account Party affiliation 2022 National Public Opinion
Frequency of internet use Reference Survey (NPORS)
for any differential Religious affiliation
probabilities of selection. Additional weighting dimensions applied within Black adults
Age 2021 American Community Survey
Gender (ACS)
Among the panelists who
Education
completed the survey, this Hispanic ethnicity
weight is then calibrated again Voter registration 2018 CPS Voting and Registration
Supplement
to align with the population
Party affiliation 2022 National Public Opinion
benchmarks identified in the Religious affiliation Reference Survey (NPORS)
accompanying table and Note: Estimates from the ACS are based on non-institutionalized adults. Voter registration is
trimmed at the 1st and 99th calculated using procedures from Hur, Achen (2013) and rescaled to include the total U.S.
adult population. Volunteerism is estimated using a model to account for potential changes
percentiles to reduce the loss in volunteering behavior due to the coronavirus outbreak that began in February 2020.
in precision stemming from PEW RESEARCH CENTER
variance in the weights.

Sampling errors and tests of
statistical significance take into account the effect of weighting.
The following table shows the unweighted sample sizes and the error attributable to sampling that
would be expected at the 95% level of confidence for different groups in the survey.
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40
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Sample sizes and margins of error, ATP Wave 118

Unweighted
Group sample size Plus or minus …
Total sample 5,132 1.7 percentage points
Rep/Lean Rep 2,294 2.4 percentage points

Dem/Lean Dem 2,625 2.4 percentage points
Podcast listeners 2,530 2.4 percentage points
Podcast news listeners 1,723 2.9 percentage points
Note: This survey includes oversamples of Hispanic men, non-Hispanic Black men, and non-
Hispanic Asian adults. Unweighted sample sizes do not account for the sample design or
weighting and do not describe a group’s contribution to weighted estimates. See the
Sample design and Weighting sections above for details.
Sample sizes and sampling errors for other subgroups are available upon request. In addition to
sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.
Open-ended question asked in the survey of U.S. adults

In the questionnaire, U.S. adults were asked in an open-ended question to write in the name of the
podcast that they currently listen to most. If respondents answered with the names of more than
one podcast, only the first one was coded. In total, 1,563 open-end responses were coded.
All podcasts that were named by more than 1% of open-end responses were included in the
topline. All other podcasts named that did not reach this threshold were combined into one
“other” category.
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Dispositions and response rates
Final dispositions, ATP Wave 118

AAPOR code Total
Completed interview 1.1 5,132
Logged on to survey; broke off 2.12 55
Logged on to survey; did not complete any items 2.1121 37
Never logged on (implicit refusal) 2.11 529
Survey completed after close of the field period 2.27 0
Completed interview but was removed for data quality 5
Screened out 0
Total panelists in the survey 5,758
Completed interviews I 5,132
Partial interviews P 0
Refusals R 626
Non-contact NC 0
Other O 0
Unknown household UH 0
Unknown other UO 0
Not eligible NE 0
Total 5,758
AAPOR RR1 = I / (I+P+R+NC+O+UH+UO) 89%
Cumulative response rate as of ATP Wave 118

Total
Weighted response rate to recruitment surveys 12%
% of recruitment survey respondents who agreed to join the panel, 71%
among those invited
% of those agreeing to join who were active panelists at start of 49%
Wave 118
Response rate to Wave 118 survey 89%
Cumulative response rate 4%
© Pew Research Center, 2023
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
2022 PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S AMERICAN TRENDS PANEL

WAVE 118 DECEMBER 2022
FINAL TOPLINE
DECEMBER 5-11, 2022
N=5,132
ASK ALL:
PODYEAR Have you listened to a podcast in the past 12 months?
Dec 5-11,
2022
49 Yes
51 No
<1 No answer
ASK IF LISTENED TO A PODCAST IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (PODYEAR=1) [N=2,530]:

PODFREQ How often do you listen to podcasts? [RANDOMLY DISPLAY RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5 OR
5-1]
Dec 5-11,
2022
20 Nearly every day
22 A few times a week
25 A few times a month
9 Once a month
25 Less often than once a month
<1 No answer

PODCOUNT How many different podcasts are you currently listening to?
Dec 5-11,
2022
23 None right now
18 One
26 Two
13 Three
19 Four or more
1 No answer

PODWHY How much is each of the following a reason why you listen to podcasts? [RANDOMIZE
ITEMS; F ALWAYS LAST]
Major Minor Not a

reason reason reason No answer
a. To stay up to date about current events
Dec 5-11, 2022 29 34 36 <1
b. For entertainment
Dec 5-11, 2022 60 27 13 <1
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
PODWHY CONTINUED … Major Minor Not a

reason reason reason No answer
c. To have something to listen to while
doing something else
Dec 5-11, 2022 52 29 18 <1
d. To hear other people’s opinions

Dec 5-11, 2022 30 41 28 1
e. For encouragement or inspiration

Dec 5-11, 2022 27 32 41 <1
f. To learn
Dec 5-11, 2022 55 33 11 <1

PODTOPIC Do you regularly listen to podcasts about each of the following topics? [RANDOMIZE ITEMS;
SPLIT ITEMS OVER TWO SCREENS]
Yes No No answer
a. Politics and government
Dec 5-11, 2022 41 59 <1
b. Entertainment, pop culture, and the arts

Dec 5-11, 2022 46 53 1
c. Sports
Dec 5-11, 2022 22 77 1
d. Health and fitness

Dec 5-11, 2022 27 73 <1
e. History
Dec 5-11, 2022 40 59 1
f. True crime
Dec 5-11, 2022 34 66 1
g. Religion and spirituality

Dec 5-11, 2022 30 69 1
h. Science and technology

Dec 5-11, 2022 40 60 <1
i. Race and ethnicity

Dec 5-11, 2022 15 84 1
j. Self-help and relationships

Dec 5-11, 2022 32 67 1
k. Money and finance

Dec 5-11, 2022 31 68 1
l. Comedy
Dec 5-11, 2022 47 53 1
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

PODFRIENDS Do you listen to any of the same podcasts as your friends or family?
Dec 5-11,
2022
36 Yes
27 No
38 Not sure
- No answer

PODREC1 Have you ever listened to a podcast because a friend or family member recommended it to
you?
Dec 5-11,
2022
60 Yes
39 No
<1 No answer

PODREC2 Have you ever recommended a podcast to someone else?
Dec 5-11,
2022
67 Yes
32 No
<1 No answer

PODCONVO How often do you discuss something you heard on a podcast with others? [RANDOMLY
DISPLAY RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5 OR 5-1 USING SAME ORDER AS PODFREQ]
Dec 5-11,
2022
5 Extremely often
19 Fairly often
44 Sometimes
24 Rarely
8 Never
<1 No answer
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

PODENG1 Have you ever done any of the following? [RANDOMIZE ITEMS]
Yes No No answer
a. Followed the social media account of a podcast or its
host(s)
Dec 5-11, 2022 52 48 <1
b. Paid for a subscription to a podcast (such as on Patreon)

Dec 5-11, 2022 13 86 <1
c. Bought a podcast’s merchandise

Dec 5-11, 2022 12 88 <1
d. Joined an online discussion group or social media group

dedicated to a specific podcast (such as on Discord)
Dec 5-11, 2022 16 83 <1

PODENG2 Have you done any of the following activities because of a podcast that you listened to?
[RANDOMIZE ITEMS, KEEP D LAST]
Yes No No answer
a. Watched a movie, read a book, or listened to
music
Dec 5-11, 2022 60 39 <1
b. Made or tried a lifestyle change (such as a

workout routine, a new diet, or journaling)
Dec 5-11, 2022 36 63 <1
c. Bought something because it was promoted or

talked about on a podcast
Dec 5-11, 2022 28 72 <1
d. Donated to, volunteered for, or attended an event

for a political candidate or cause
Dec 5-11, 2022 13 87 <1

PODNEWS Does news ever get discussed on the podcasts you listen to?
Dec 5-11
2022
67 Yes
33 No
<1 No answer
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
ASK IF NEWS IS DISCUSSED ON PODCASTS (PODNEWS=1) [N=1,723]:

PODACC Generally, do you expect that the news you hear on the podcasts you listen to will be…
[RANDOMIZE]
Dec 5-11
2022
87 Mostly accurate
11 Mostly inaccurate
2 No answer

PODTRUST Do you trust the news you get from podcasts… [RANDOMIZE 1 AND 2; KEEP 3 LAST]
Dec 5-11
2022
31 More than the news you get from other sources
15 Less than the news you get from other sources
55 About the same as the news you get from other sources
<1 No answer

PODELSE How often would you say you hear news on podcasts that you wouldn’t have heard elsewhere?
[RANDOMLY DISPLAY RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5 OR 5-1 USING SAME ORDER AS
PODFREQ]
Dec 5-11
2022
8 Extremely often
22 Fairly often
43 Sometimes
23 Rarely
4 Never
<1 No answer

PODNEWS2 How often do you listen to podcasts that PRIMARILY… [RANDOMIZE ITEMS; RANDOMLY
DISPLAY RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-6 OR 6-1 USING SAME ORDER AS PODFREQ]
Less
Nearly A few A few than
every times a times a Once a once a No
day week month month month Never answer
a. Summarize the major news
stories of the day
Dec 5-11, 2022 11 19 17 9 20 24 <1
b. Explain a topic or issue in the

news in-depth
Dec 5-11, 2022 10 19 23 11 23 14 <1
c. Feature a host(s) talking about

their opinions about the news
Dec 5-11, 2022 8 18 22 10 22 20 <1
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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

PODORG As far as you know, are any of the podcasts you listen to connected to a news organization,
like a newspaper or news website?
Dec 5-11
2022
20 Yes
59 No
21 Not sure
<1 No answer

PODFINCORP How much, if at all, do you think that the news that you get from podcasts is influenced by
corporations and financial interests? [RANDOMLY DISPLAY RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5 OR
5-1 USING SAME ORDER AS PODFREQ]
Dec 5-11
2022
3 A great deal
9 Quite a bit
32 Some
24 A little
31 Not at all
1 No answer

PODCOMM How often do any of the podcasts you listen to include the host’s or guest’s opinions about
government and politics? [RANDOMLY DISPLAY RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5 OR 5-1 USING
SAME ORDER AS PODFREQ]
Dec 5-11
2022
8 Extremely often
17 Fairly often
29 Sometimes
23 Rarely
22 Never
1 No answer
ASK IF HEARS OPINIONS ABOUT GOVT AND POLITCS ON PODCASTS (PODCOMM=1-4) [N=1,982]:
PODLINEUP In the podcasts you listen to, would you say the host’s or guest’s opinions about government
and politics you hear mostly … [RANDOMIZE 1 AND 2; KEEP 3 LAST]
Dec 5-11
2022
47 Line up with your own opinions
7 Do not line up with your own opinions
46 Are about an even mix
1 No answer
[ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE]

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER
ASK ALL:
PARTY In politics today, do you consider yourself a…
Dec 5-11
2022
28 Republican
28 Democrat
27 Independent
15 Something else
2 No answer
ASK IF INDEP/SOMETHING ELSE (PARTY=3, 4 OR REFUSED) [N=2,073]:

PARTYLN As of today do you lean more to…
BASED ON TOTAL [N=5,132]:
Dec 5-11
2022
17 The Republican Party
19 The Democratic Party
7 No answer
www.pewresearch.org

Podcasts As A Source of News and Information

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Podcasts As A Source of News and Information

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FOR RELEASE APRIL 18, 2023

FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES:

Katerina Eva Matsa, Director, News and

How we did this

Podcasts as a Source of News and Information

Not listened Listened

to a new Pew Research Center survey, including

featuring topics from sports and religion to

Large shares of podcast

Listeners turn to podcasts to hear about a wide range

However, even as podcast audiences

Many listeners also engage

Paid for a subscription to a podcast 13

buying merchandise. PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Nearly nine-in-ten of those who hear news on podcasts expect it to be

This is a much higher level of trust than people

Among all podcast listeners, just over half

Republican podcast listeners more likely than Democrats to trust podcast

political parties when it comes to their views of

Among those who get news on

Younger Americans more likely to listen to podcasts, and they turn to

Additionally, younger listeners tend to be more 50-64 42

1. How Americans use and Roughly half of Americans have listened

Podcast listeners most often turn to podcasts for entertainment,

still say these are at least minor For encouragement or inspiration 27 32 59

current events is a reason they

Nearly half of podcast listeners say they True crime 34

podcasts about politics and government (41%), Religion and spirituality 30

Six-in-ten podcast listeners have watched a movie, read a book or listened

heard on a podcast with others at least

Listen to any of the

% of U.S. podcast listeners who discuss something they

2. Americans’ experience with news on

Note: “Podcast listeners” in this report are

Many podcast listeners hear

stories of the day (51%). Summarize the major news

When listeners hear news on a podcast, they

More than news Less than news

sources. In all, about three-quarters of listeners

on podcasts that they would not have heard

3. How Republicans and Democrats engage with podcasts

Just under half of Republicans and independents Rep/Lean Rep 46%

share of Democrats and Democratic leaners who

Republicans and Democrats in some of their

Among those who hear news on

have heard elsewhere, while

Within the parties, more ideological partisans

Among those who hear political opinions on

and conservative Republicans. Liberal

4. Podcast use among different age groups

Two-thirds of adults under 30 say they have Two-thirds of adults 18 to 29 have

under age 50 (63%) say they are currently

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 5-11, 2022.

levels. For example, about 79

70% of college graduates ages

of age – 62% of those with a PEW RESEARCH CENTER

bachelor’s degree have listened

At least half of podcast listeners across all age

Younger listeners engage with and take recommendations from podcasts