Somerville, NJ November 17, 2022 – In the last week, 73% of those age 16+ in New Zealand have listened to AM/FM radio, 70% have listened to online audio, and 30% have listened to a podcast, according to The Infinite Dial 2022 New Zealand, a comprehensive study of digital media consumer behavior from U.S.-based Edison Research.
The Infinite Dial began in 1998, is the longest-running study of its kind in the U.S., and has since expanded to six countries. The New Zealand version of this study is presented by major sponsor The Radio Bureau with additional sponsors MediaWorks and NZME.The study surveyed over 1,300 New Zealand residents age 16+ on a variety of measures including online digital audio platforms, radio, smart speakers, podcasts, and more.
Weekly radio usage among New Zealanders (73% of those age 16+) is higher than Canada (62%) and the U.S. (56%). New Zealanders are also more likely to have a radio in their household (73%) compared to those age 16+ in the U.S. (61%).
Thirty percent of New Zealanders are weekly podcast listeners, outpacing the U.S., Canada, and Australia, each at 26%. Monthly podcast listeners in New Zealand subscribe to an average of four podcasts.
Weekly online audio listeners in New Zealand (70%) spend an average of nine hours and 24 minutes per week with online audio. Weekly online audio listeners age 16-34 spend 10 hours and 24 minutes with online audio.
Key findings among New Zealanders age 16-34 include: 99% own a smartphone, 26% own a smart speaker, 86% have listened to online audio in the last week, and 41% have listened to a podcast in the last week. Despite the availability of digital audio, the majority of young New Zealanders are still choosing radio, as 69% have listened to radio in the past week. When consuming media in car, 81% of New Zealanders currently ever use AM/FM radio, which is on par with the U.S. (80%). Lagging a bit behind the U.S. is podcast consumption in-car, 21% compared with 32% in the U.S., and online audio consumption in-car, 20% compared with 42% in the U.S.
Twenty percent of New Zealanders own a smart speaker.Fourteen percent own a Google Home, 10% own an Amazon Alexa, and 2% own an Apple HomePod.
“We are thrilled to bring The Infinite Dial to New Zealand. The findings reveal a media environment rich in audio usage and device ownership, and we look forward to a variety of industries in the country using this data to advance their business,” said Edison Research President Larry Rosin.
About the survey: In the third quarter of 2022, Edison Research conducted a national survey of 1,385 respondents in New Zealand age 16 and older: 351 interviews were conducted by telephone and 1,034 interviews were conducted online. The data was weighted to national population figures age 16+.
About Edison Research Edison Research conducts survey research and provides strategic information to a broad array of clients, including Activision, AMC Theatres, Apple, Disney, Dolby Laboratories, Google, Oracle, the U.S. International Broadcasting Bureau, Pandora, Samsung, Siemens, Sony, and Univision. Edison Research is the leading podcast research company in the world and has conducted research on the medium for NPR, Slate, Spotify, SXM Media, ESPN, WNYC Studios, and many more companies in the space. Edison Research has conducted research in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Edison Research is also the leading provider of consumer exit polling and has conducted face-to-face research in almost every imaginable venue. Since 2004, Edison Research has been the sole provider of Election Day data to the National Election Pool, conducting exit polls and collecting precinct vote returns to project and analyze results for every major presidential primary and general election.
