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If you are a veteran of the podcast industry, you’re probably familiar with the following concept: weekly podcast listeners are more affluent, have higher educational attainment, and lean left on political affiliation compared to the overall U.S. population. While that is still true today, it’s worth noting how podcast listening has expanded in the U.S. and how new listeners are changing the composition of the audience. Let’s use today’s insight to highlight political party identification as an example.
In 2019, 40% of weekly podcast listeners identified as Democrats while 23% identified as Republicans, a 17-point gap, according to Edison Podcast Metrics. This partisan gap has closed considerably since then. Now, 37% identify as Democrats and 30% identify as Republicans, only a 7-point difference.
This shift in political affiliation aligns with changes we’re also seeing in the top 50 podcasts. Many conservative talk podcasts like Candace, The Matt Walsh Show, and The Ben Shapiro Show either debuted in the top 50 or moved up the ranks in our Edison Podcast Metrics Q4 2024 podcast ranker compared to prior quarters.
While a higher percentage of the overall weekly listening audience now identifies as Republican, many individual shows still have a listener base that is predominately left-leaning. The overall audience shift, however, is an inevitable part of the continued adoption of podcast listening in America. As the pool expands, it will be more and more representative of the population, a healthy signal that podcast listening growth continues.
Political party affiliation isn’t the only development we’re observing. Other demographic measures, such as education and household income, are also changing. You can learn more about those through Edison Podcast Metrics.
To learn more about the expanding and changing podcast-listener demographics, contact us at info@edisonresearch.com. You can also attend one of our panels at Podcast Movement Evolutions, which will cover these topics and more.
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The Infinite Dial 2025 will be unveiled by Edison Research Vice President Megan Lazovick alongside special guest James Cridland, Editor of Podnews. With 35 years in the audio business, Cridland will offer unique analysis into the numbers and global context. Together, they will provide attendees expert insights on the latest digital audio consumption trends and their implications for the industry.
