Podcast Consumption and Listening in The United Kingdom: 2018 Data

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Podcast Consumption and Listening in The United Kingdom
  • In the UK, on average 6.5 million adults or 12% of the adult population listen to a podcast per week
  • Men are the predominant listeners of podcasts making up 63% of all listeners
  • Of the podcast consumers, 67% listen to the whole episode, 22% listen to most of the episode, 5% listen to approximately half of the episode, 2% listen to less than half, and in a survey 4% says their consumption varies widely

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Findings

The latest statistics on podcast consumption and listening data in the United Kingdom (UK) show that most podcast listeners are male (63%), are between 25 and 34 years old (21%), prefer to consume podcasts on a smartphone (67%), and prefer to listen at home (39%). These trends are mostly echoed in other countries. Below recent statistics for the UK are provided as well as some helpful statistics from other countries.

The MIDAS survey provided by RAJAR primarily looks at how different audio content is consumed in the UK and which demographics are consuming which audio types. The statistics provided for podcasts gives insight into the demographics of a podcast consumer and their listening behavior. The statistics presented in this brief focus on podcasts only.

In the UK, on average 6.5 million adults or 12% of the adult population use a podcast per week.

Gender of Podcast Listeners

The majority of podcast listeners are male. Males consist of 63% of all listeners while females consist of 37% of all listeners.

Age Ranges and Groups of Podcast Listeners

Compared to other audio types, podcasts reach 16% of those in the age group 15–24 years, 21% in age group 25–34 years, 14% of those in the age group 35–54 years, and 5% of audio listeners in age category 55+.

The greatest portion of podcast consumers is between 25–34 years old. Of those surveyed 14% of podcast listeners fall in the age group of 15–24 years, 38% fall into the age group of 25–34 years, 29% fall into the age group of 35–54 years, and 19% are older than 55 years.

Device Types and Form Factors

The preferred device for listening to podcasts is the smartphone. RAJAR’s research shows that 67% of consumers listen to podcasts on a smartphone, 16% on a desktop or laptop, and 10% on a digital music player. The least preferred devices are the tablet (6%) and voice-activated speakers (1%).

Where Do People Listen To Podcasts In The UK?

Most podcast consumers prefer to listen at home. The preferred locations for listening to podcasts ranked from most preferred to least preferred are at home (39%), at work or in the place of study (23%), in public transportation or while walking (21%), in the car or lorry or van (13%), and elsewhere (4%).

What Are People Doing When They Listen To Podcasts aka Listening Behavior?

Podcasting hours are largely consumed in conjunction with the following activities driving/traveling (44% share), relaxing (32% share), and working/studying (25% share). They are least consumed while communicating (social media, phone, email, texting) (2% share), socializing (3% share) and gaming (4% share).

Most consumers prefer to listen to podcasts on their own (90%). Only 5% listen with their partner or spouse.

The majority of consumers listen to most of the podcast episodes they download. Of the episodes downloaded 22% of consumers listen to all the podcast episodes that they download, 38% listen to most of the episodes they download, 22% listen to half of the episodes downloaded, 16% listen to less than half of the episodes downloaded, and 1% downloads episodes but does not listen to them.

When listening to an episode, most consumers listen until the end. Of the podcast listeners, 67% listen to the whole episode, 22% listen to most of the episode, 5% listen to approximately half of the episode, 2% listen to less than half, and 4% says it varies widely.

How Much Time Do People Spend Listening To Podcasts?

The average number of hours consumers listen to podcasts is 3.7 hours.

What Time of Day Do Podcasts Have The Largest Audience Reach?

and podcasts reach their highest audience between 8:00–8:15 AM.

Podcast Data from Other Countries

United States of America

In the US 44% of the population (approximately 124 million) have ever listened to a podcast. As in the UK, more men (52%) than women (48%) consume podcasts and the listeners are concentrated in the age groups 35–54 years (36%) and 18–24 years (34%). Most podcast consumers have some graduate school or advanced degree (34%) and are employed (54%). An average of 6 hours and 37 minutes is spent listening to podcasts.

Canada

In Canada 28% of adults are monthly consumers of podcasts. Just as in the UK and the US more men (54%) than women (46%) consume podcast content. The greatest group of consumers are highly educated and have some graduate degree or advanced degree (53%). Just as in the US most podcast consumers are employed (53%). On average Canadians listen six hours and four minutes to podcasts on a weekly basis.

Australia

In Australia 78% of the population is familiar with the term podcasting. Those that listen to podcasts on a monthly basis fall in the age groups 12–24 years (22%) and 25–54 years (22%). Australians prefer to listen to podcasts on their smartphones (79%) and to a lesser extent on their computer (20%). The preferred location for listening by most Australians is at home (74%).

Conclusion

The latest statistics on podcast consumption and listening data in the United Kingdom (UK) show that most podcast listeners are male, are between 25 and 34 years old, prefer to consume podcasts on a smartphone, and prefer to listen at home. These trends are mostly echoed in other countries.

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