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 listened to a podcast in the past 12 months, as do almost six-in-ten respondents ages of 30 to 49 (58%). Listening drops off substantially among older groups, to 42% among those ages 50 to 64 and 28% among Americans 65 and older.

Younger groups of U.S. adults (ages 18 to 29 and 30 to 49) also listen to podcasts more often than those ages 50 to 64 and 65 and older – with about half of all podcast listeners ages 18 to 29 (48%) and 45% of those 30 to 49 saying they listen at least a few times a week. That figure drops to 35% of those 50 to 64 and 27% of those 65 and older.

Younger adults also listen to more podcasts, on average. Nearly two-thirds of podcast listeners under age 50 (63%) say they are currently listening to two or more podcasts, compared with 54% of listeners 50 to 64 and 40% of those 65 and older.

While Americans who have received more education are more likely to listen to podcasts, age differences persist across all education levels. For example, about eight-in-ten adults under 30 with a college degree (79%) have listened to a podcast in the past 12 months, followed by 70% of college graduates ages 30 to 49, 57% of those 50 to 64 and 39% of those 65 and older.

(Among all adults – regardless of age – 62% of those with a 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.

Americans differ by age in why they listen to podcasts

The podcast experience is also profoundly different for younger and older adults. Younger listeners are more likely than their elders to say they listen for entertainment or to have something to listen to while doing something else, for example, while older listeners are more likely to say they turn to podcasts to stay up to date about current events.

Three-quarters of podcast listeners ages 18 to 29 say entertainment is a major reason they listen to podcasts, compared with just 30% of those 65 and older. And 70% of those youngest podcast listeners say having something to listen to in the background is a major reason they listen to podcasts. This share falls steadily in older age groups, down to 22% among podcast listeners 65 and older.

At least half of podcast listeners across all age groups say learning is a major reason they listen to podcasts, but this is the most common reason cited by those 65 and older, at 61%. And older podcast listeners are more likely than those 18 to 29 and 30 to 49 to say staying up to date with current events is a major reason they listen to podcasts: About four-in-ten listeners 65 and older (38%) say this, compared with a quarter of those 18 to 29.

The topics preferred by each age group also differ, with younger listeners more likely to listen to podcasts about entertainment and older listeners turning more to podcasts about politics and government.

Younger listeners engage with and take recommendations from podcasts more than older listeners

Younger groups of podcast listeners also are more likely than their elders to engage with podcasts in different ways, such as by following the podcast or its host(s) on social media, or by trying something (like a movie or a lifestyle change) because of something they heard on a podcast.

For example, about four-in-ten podcast listeners ages 18 to 29 (40%) and 30 to 49 (41%) say they have made or tried a lifestyle change because of something they heard on a podcast, compared with 32% of those 50 to 64 and 22% of those 65 and older.

The gap between age groups is even wider when it comes to the share who follow the social media account of a podcast or host: A clear majority of podcast listeners in the two youngest age groups do this (65% of those ages 18 to 29 and 57% of those 30 to 49), compared with 42% of those ages 50 to 64 and 24% of those 65 and older. (Younger adults are also more likely to use social media in general.)

Among podcast listeners, adults under 50 are more likely than their elders to report joining an online discussion group related to a podcast they listened to.  

Younger podcast listeners also are more likely 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.