Whether for entertainment, education or news, Americans are increasingly tuning in to podcasts, and the media form has become a large part of many U.S. adults’ everyday lives and information diets. This fact sheet looks at Americans’ experiences with podcasts and news. Explore the patterns and trends below.
Who listens to podcasts, and who gets news from them?
Just over half of U.S. adults (54%) say they’ve listened to a podcast in the past 12 months, a slight increase since we first asked this in 2022 (49%). Younger people are far more likely to listen to podcasts, with 67% of those ages 18 to 29 saying they listened to a podcast in the past 12 months, about twice the share of those ages 65 and older (33%).
| Year | U.S. adults | Ages 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 49% | 67% | 58% | 42% | 28% |
| 2025 | 54 | 67 | 62 | 50 | 33 |
When it comes to news specifically, around a third of U.S. adults (32%) say they get news from podcasts at least sometimes, including 10% who say they do this often. This share has grown since we began asking Americans about podcasts in 2020, when 22% said they got news from podcasts at least sometimes.
| Year | Often | Sometimes | Rarely | Never |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 6% | 16% | 24% | 53% |
| 2021 | 7 | 16 | 21 | 56 |
| 2022 | 6 | 17 | 22 | 55 |
| 2023 | 9 | 21 | 22 | 47 |
| 2024 | 9 | 18 | 22 | 50 |
| 2025 | 10 | 22 | 22 | 46 |
Younger Americans are more likely than older adults to get news from podcasts. Around four-in-ten U.S. adults under 50 (39%) say they get news from podcasts often or sometimes, compared with 24% of those ages 50 and older. Across all age groups, the share of adults who get news from podcasts has grown since 2020.
| Year | U.S. adults | Ages 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 22% | 31% | 28% | 18% | 12% |
| 2021 | 23 | 33 | 29 | 18 | 12 |
| 2022 | 23 | 32 | 29 | 18 | 12 |
| 2023 | 30 | 41 | 35 | 26 | 17 |
| 2024 | 27 | 34 | 34 | 23 | 14 |
| 2025 | 32 | 39 | 39 | 29 | 18 |
Trust in news from podcasts
Among those who get news from podcasts, 53% say they trust news there about the same as the news they get from other sources. Around a quarter (23%) say they trust the news they get from podcasts more than the news they get elsewhere, and an identical share say they trust the news they get from podcasts less.
About three-in-ten Republicans and independents who lean Republican (31%) say they trust the news they get from podcasts more than the news they get from other sources. This is about twice the share of Democrats and Democratic leaners who say this (15%).
| Group | More than | About the same as | Less than |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults | 23% | 53% | 23% |
| Rep/Lean Rep | 31 | 50 | 18 |
| Dem/Lean Dem | 15 | 56 | 28 |
Types of news podcasts
Podcast news consumers listen to podcasts that touch on news in a variety of formats. Among U.S. adults who ever get news from podcasts, majorities say they at least sometimes listen to each of the three types of podcasts we asked about: podcasts that primarily explain a topic or issue in the news in depth (69%), those that feature hosts or guests sharing their opinions on the news (61%), and podcasts that primarily summarize the major news stories of the day (58%).
| Podcast type | Extremely often | Often | Sometimes | Rarely | Never |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explain a topic or issue in the news in depth | 7% | 22% | 40% | 22% | 9% |
| Feature hosts or guests sharing their opinions about the news | 6 | 18 | 37 | 27 | 11 |
| Summarize the major news stories of the day | 6 | 17 | 34 | 28 | 14 |
Paying or subscribing to news podcasts
Just 6% of U.S. adults say that they have directly paid for or given money to podcasts that focus on news in the past 12 months. This includes payments from subscribing, donating or becoming a member of some kind.
When asked about paying for news in general, 17% of U.S. adults say that they have directly paid or given money to any news source in the last year.
| Year | Paid | Not paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6% | 93% |
Demographics of podcast news consumers
News consumption on podcasts varies by demographic. For example, Americans with a college degree are more likely to turn to podcasts for news than those with a high school diploma or less education. However, Republicans and Democrats are about equally likely to turn to podcasts for news.
Podcast use and preference by demographics
% of U.S. adults in each demographic group who say they …
| Get news from podcasts at least sometimes | Prefer getting news from podcasts over any other platform | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults | 32% | 6% |
| Men | 35 | 8 |
| Women | 28 | 5 |
| Ages 18-29 | 39 | 8 |
| 30-49 | 39 | 9 |
| 50-64 | 29 | 5 |
| 65+ | 18 | 2 |
| HS or less | 27 | 5 |
| Some college | 31 | 6 |
| College+ | 38 | 9 |
| White | 30 | 7 |
| Black | 35 | 7 |
| Hispanic | 33 | 3 |
| Asian* | 36 | 5 |
| Rep/Lean Rep | 33 | 8 |
| Dem/Lean Dem | 32 | 5 |
* Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.
Note: Other response options for podcast use were “Rarely” and “Never.” Respondents who do not use the internet did not receive the question about podcast use; they are included with those who said “Never,” along with those who do not say they get news from digital devices. White, Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic; Hispanic adults are of any race.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 18-24, 2025.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Find out more
This fact sheet was compiled by Senior Researcher Elisa Shearer, Research Analyst Emily Tomasik and former intern Mary Randolph.
Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.
Follow these links for related research:
- News Platform Fact Sheet (Sept. 25, 2025)
- Social Media and News Fact Sheet (Sept. 25, 2025)
- An Audio Tour Through America’s Top-Ranked Podcasts (Feb. 6, 2024)
- Most Top-Ranked Podcasts Bring On Guests (Feb. 6, 2024)
- A Profile of the Top-Ranked Podcasts in the U.S. (June 15, 2023)
- Podcasts as a Source of News and Information (April 18, 2023)
Read all our reports and blog posts related to audio, radio and podcasts.