---
title: "Podcasts and News Fact Sheet"
description: "Podcasts are playing a bigger role in Americans' news diets. Around a third of U.S. adults say they get news from podcasts at least sometimes."
date: "2025-09-25"
authors:
  - name: "jcoleman"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/podcasts-and-news-fact-sheet/"
categories:
  - "Audio, Radio & Podcasts"
  - "Digital News Landscape"
---

# Podcasts and News Fact Sheet

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.

![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/PJ_2025.09.25_podcasts-news-fact-sheets_people-icon.png?w=154)

## 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%).

### Podcast listenership, by age

*% who say they have listened to a podcast in the past 12 months*

| Year | U.S. adults | Ages 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2022 | 49% | 67% | 58% | 42% | 28% |
| 2025 | 54 | 67 | 62 | 50 | 33 |

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 18-24, 2025.

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.

### Getting news from podcasts

*% of U.S. adults who say they __ get news from podcasts*

| 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 |

Note: Respondents who did not answer are not shown. Respondents who do not use the internet did not receive this question; they are included with those who said “Never,” along with those who do not say they get news from digital devices.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 18-24, 2025.

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.

### Getting news from podcasts, by age

*% who say they often or sometimes get news from podcasts*

| 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 |

Note: Other response options were “Rarely” and “Never.” Respondents who did not answer are not shown. Respondents who do not use the internet did not receive this question; they are included with those who said “Never,” along with those who do not say they get news from digital devices.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 18-24, 2025.

![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/PJ_2025.09.25_podcasts-news-fact-sheets_microphone-icon.png?w=450)

## 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%).

### Trust in news from podcasts

*Among U.S. podcast news consumers, % who say they trust the news they get from podcasts __ the news they get from other sources*

| 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 |

Note: Respondents who did not answer are not shown.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 18-24, 2025.

![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/PJ_2025.09.25_podcasts-news-fact-sheets_headphones-icon.png?w=450)

## 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%).

### Formats of news on podcasts

*Among U.S. podcast news consumers, % who say they __ listen to podcasts that primarily …*

| 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 |

Note: Respondents who did not answer are not shown.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 18-24, 2025

![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/PJ_2025.09.25_podcasts-news-fact-sheets_money-icon.png?w=450)

## 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](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/24/few-americans-pay-for-news-when-they-encounter-paywalls/) in the last year.

### Subscribing or donating to news podcasts

*% of U.S. adults who say they have __ or given money directly to podcasts that focus on news, by subscribing, donating or becoming a member in the past 12 months*

| Year | Paid | Not paid |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | 6% | 93% |

Note: Respondents who did not answer are not shown.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 18-24, 2025.

![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/PJ_2025.09.25_podcasts-news-fact-sheets_people-icon.png?w=154)

## 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](https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/elisa-shearer/), Research Analyst [Emily Tomasik](https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/emily-tomasik/) and former intern [Mary Randolph](https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/mary-randolph/).

Here are the [questions used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/PJ_2025.09.25_news-information-fact-sheets_questionnaire.pdf), the [topline](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/09/PJ_2025.09.25_news-information-fact-sheets_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2025/09/25/news-information-fact-sheets-methodology/).

**Follow these links for related research:**

- [News Platform Fact Sheet](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/news-platform-fact-sheet/) (Sept. 25, 2025)

- [Social Media and News Fact Sheet](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/) (Sept. 25, 2025)

- [News Influencers Fact Sheet](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/news-influencers-fact-sheet/) (Nov. 4, 2025)

- [An Audio Tour Through America’s Top-Ranked Podcasts](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2024/02/06/an-audio-tour-through-americas-top-ranked-podcasts/) (Feb. 6, 2024)

- [Most Top-Ranked Podcasts Bring On Guests](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2024/02/06/most-top-ranked-podcasts-bring-on-guests/) (Feb. 6, 2024)

- [A Profile of the Top-Ranked Podcasts in the U.S.](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2023/06/15/a-profile-of-the-top-ranked-podcasts-in-the-u-s/) (June 15, 2023)

- [Podcasts as a Source of News and Information](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2023/04/18/podcasts-as-a-source-of-news-and-information/) (April 18, 2023)

**Read all our reports and blog posts related to **[**audio, radio and podcasts**](https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/news-habits-media/news-media-trends/news-platforms-sources/audio-radio-podcasts/)**.**