The Infinite Dial has been reporting annually on Australia’s listening habits since 2017, and looks at the overall penetration of audio in Australia, including AM/FM radio, DAB+ and digital – including podcasts.  

Its 2023 survey showed that 43 per cent of Australians aged 12 and over listen to a podcast on a monthly basis, and 33 per cent listen weekly. The audience skews young, with 70 percent of those aged 18-24 and 56 per cent of 25-39-year-olds listening monthly.  

Weekly listeners listen a lot: 66 per cent listen to four or more episodes per week, with 27 per cent listening to six or more. 

The study, based on surveys and interviews, revealed that original content is far more popular than catch-up radio: 43 per cent of total respondents listened to original content podcasts in a given month, while 27 percent listened to catch-up radio.  

Weekly listeners listen a lot: 66 per cent listen to four or more episodes per week, with 27 per cent listening to six or more.  

Original content is far more popular than catch-up radio: 43 per cent of total respondents listened to original content podcasts in a month, while 27 percent listened to catch-up radio.  

Deadset Studios and Insightfully have just published their PodPoll study, based on a 2-part survey of the general population and regular listeners.  

The findings that jumped out most to us here at Impact Studios were those that highlighted podcasting as a powerful medium for change. People who have taken action to support a cause or purpose are heavier than average podcast listeners – nearly a third of them listen to more than 3 hours per week, making them a highly engaged audience. For organisations focused on advocacy and campaigns, this is salient information with podcasting shaping up as a powerful tool to change viewpoints and help stakeholders understand the issues they are working on. 

The report shows that in Australia, podcasts are now more popular in terms of monthly consumption than printed newspapers, magazines and audio books. Podcast listeners tend to be highly engaged – 39 per cent of regular listeners listen daily, and 56 per cent of regular listeners tune in for 1-3 hours each week, proving the sticky nature of the medium.  

Some more interesting data from PodPoll:  
 
93% of podcast listeners are “learners” (people hungry for new knowledge). Conversely, these are the kinds of people most likely to be regular listeners.  

88% of listeners share their opinions with friends and family. 

78% of listeners take action to support a cause and issues they care about.  

Regular listeners listen through to the end of the episode 81 percent of the time. 

These stats are fascinating. Very few surveys measure what actions people take after they’ve listened to a podcast, and what they do with what they’ve heard and learned. It’s something we’re hoping to explore here at Impact Studios.