An estimated 167 million Americans aged 12 and older (58%) listened to or watched a podcast in the past month, marking a record-high for the medium, according to the latest edition of “The Infinite Dial®,” the long-running survey of digital media consumption in the U.S.
Edison Research, in partnership with SSRS and SiriusXM Media, conducted the survey in January 2026, polling 2,050 Americans aged 12 and older through a nationally representative online sample offered in both English and Spanish.
The report also found online audio listening and generative AI adoption reaching new highs, reflecting broader changes in how Americans consume digital media.
Podcast Consumption Continues to Climb
Podcast listening has grown not only in reach but also in frequency.
Weekly podcast consumption reached 45% of Americans, up from 40% in 2025, representing roughly 130 million people who now engage with podcasts each week.
Monthly consumption increased across all demographic groups. Among adults aged 35 to 54, 68% reported consuming a podcast in the past month, compared with 61% in 2025.
Growth was particularly notable among older listeners. Among Americans 55 and older, monthly podcast consumption rose to 44%, up from 38% the previous year.
Men reported slightly higher monthly podcast consumption than women: 62% of men said they consumed a podcast in the past month, compared with 54% of women, though both figures increased year over year.
Podcasting Expands Beyond Audio
The data also shows podcasting increasingly functioning as a dual-format medium, combining both audio listening and video viewing.
According to the report, 57% of Americans say they have both listened to and watched a podcast.
Among monthly podcast consumers, 36% reported both listening and watching podcasts in the past month, while 15% listened only and 7% watched only. The findings suggest the two formats are expanding the overall podcast audience rather than competing with one another.
YouTube Leads Podcast Platforms
YouTube has emerged as the most widely used platform for podcast consumption.
Among weekly podcast consumers, 39% say they most often access podcasts through YouTube, according to Edison’s Podcast Metrics U.S. data for the fourth quarter of 2025.
Spotify ranked second with 20%, followed by Apple Podcasts at 11%.
Measured by share of daily podcast consumption time, YouTube accounted for 32%, compared with 25% for Spotify and 20% for Apple Podcasts. Other sources made up the remaining 23%.
Online Audio Listening Reaches New Highs
The report also found continued growth in overall online audio consumption.
About 81% of Americans aged 12 and older listened to online audio in the past month, representing an estimated 233 million people. Weekly online audio listening reached 76%, or roughly 219 million Americans.
Growth has been strongest among older listeners. Monthly online audio listening among Americans 55 and older reached 70% in 2026, up from 63% in 2025 and 52% in 2024.
Among younger audiences, usage remains widespread. Monthly listening reached 88% among those aged 12 to 34 and 87% among those aged 35 to 54.
Spotify ranked as the most-used online audio brand in the past month, used by 36% of Americans aged 12 and older, followed by YouTube Music at 34%. Other platforms included Pandora at 21%, Amazon Music at 19%, Apple Music at 17%, iHeartRadio at 12%, and SoundCloud at 6%.
When online audio users were asked which service they use most often, Spotify led at 32% overall. Its dominance was strongest among younger listeners, with 49% of those aged 12 to 34 naming Spotify as their most-used service.
YouTube Music ranked second overall at 23%, while it led among Americans 55 and older, where 28% named it their most-used platform.
Social Media Usage Stabilizes as Platform Preferences Shift
The survey also examined broader digital media behavior.
About 85% of Americans aged 12 and older currently use social media, representing roughly 246 million people. Overall adoption has remained relatively stable in recent years after growing from 10% in 2008.
Facebook remains the most widely used social platform at 68%, followed by Instagram at 54%, TikTok at 42%, Reddit at 38%, Pinterest at 35%, LinkedIn at 34%, Snapchat at 31%, and X/Twitter at 30%.
Among emerging platforms, Threads reached 15% usage, while Truth Social stood at 6%, Bluesky at 5%, and Mastodon at 2%.
Platform preference varies significantly by age.
Among social media users aged 12 to 34, TikTok ranked as the most-used platform at 29%, ahead of Instagram at 22% and Facebook at 16%.
Among users 55 and older, Facebook dominated at 66%.
Some platforms also show distinct demographic patterns. Among users who say they most often use X/Twitter, 74% identify as men. Snapchat users skew younger, with 81% of its most-frequent users aged 12 to 34.
Generative AI Adoption Accelerates
Generative AI awareness and adoption also increased significantly.
According to the survey, 93% of Americans report familiarity with at least one generative AI brand, while 57% say they currently use at least one.
AI users reported higher levels of media consumption across several categories, including online audio, podcasts, social media, and YouTube, compared with non-users.
A companion study from Edison’s AI User Metrics service, conducted between February and March 2026 among approximately 1,000 U.S. adults per wave, found that 52% of Americans aged 18 and older use at least one AI chatbot weekly.
The same tracking study recorded a 58% increase in brand awareness for Claude AI from Anthropic between early February and early March 2026.
Smart Devices Continue to Expand
Device ownership trends continue to support the growth of digital media consumption.
Smart TV ownership reached 81% of Americans aged 12 and older in 2026, up from 75% in 2025, representing roughly 233 million people.
Smartphone ownership held steady at 91%, the same level as the previous year, representing approximately 262 million Americans.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
An estimated 167 million Americans aged 12 and older (58%) listened to or watched a podcast in the past month, marking a record-high for the medium, according to the latest edition of “The Infinite Dial®,” the long-running survey of digital media consumption in the U.S.
Edison Research, in partnership with SSRS and SiriusXM Media, conducted the survey in January 2026, polling 2,050 Americans aged 12 and older through a nationally representative online sample offered in both English and Spanish.
The report also found online audio listening and generative AI adoption reaching new highs, reflecting broader changes in how Americans consume digital media.
Podcast Consumption Continues to Climb
Podcast listening has grown not only in reach but also in frequency.
Weekly podcast consumption reached 45% of Americans, up from 40% in 2025, representing roughly 130 million people who now engage with podcasts each week.
Monthly consumption increased across all demographic groups. Among adults aged 35 to 54, 68% reported consuming a podcast in the past month, compared with 61% in 2025.
Growth was particularly notable among older listeners. Among Americans 55 and older, monthly podcast consumption rose to 44%, up from 38% the previous year.
Men reported slightly higher monthly podcast consumption than women: 62% of men said they consumed a podcast in the past month, compared with 54% of women, though both figures increased year over year.
Podcasting Expands Beyond Audio
The data also shows podcasting increasingly functioning as a dual-format medium, combining both audio listening and video viewing.
According to the report, 57% of Americans say they have both listened to and watched a podcast.
Among monthly podcast consumers, 36% reported both listening and watching podcasts in the past month, while 15% listened only and 7% watched only. The findings suggest the two formats are expanding the overall podcast audience rather than competing with one another.
YouTube Leads Podcast Platforms
YouTube has emerged as the most widely used platform for podcast consumption.
Among weekly podcast consumers, 39% say they most often access podcasts through YouTube, according to Edison’s Podcast Metrics U.S. data for the fourth quarter of 2025.
Spotify ranked second with 20%, followed by Apple Podcasts at 11%.
Measured by share of daily podcast consumption time, YouTube accounted for 32%, compared with 25% for Spotify and 20% for Apple Podcasts. Other sources made up the remaining 23%.
Online Audio Listening Reaches New Highs
The report also found continued growth in overall online audio consumption.
About 81% of Americans aged 12 and older listened to online audio in the past month, representing an estimated 233 million people. Weekly online audio listening reached 76%, or roughly 219 million Americans.
Growth has been strongest among older listeners. Monthly online audio listening among Americans 55 and older reached 70% in 2026, up from 63% in 2025 and 52% in 2024.
Among younger audiences, usage remains widespread. Monthly listening reached 88% among those aged 12 to 34 and 87% among those aged 35 to 54.
Spotify ranked as the most-used online audio brand in the past month, used by 36% of Americans aged 12 and older, followed by YouTube Music at 34%. Other platforms included Pandora at 21%, Amazon Music at 19%, Apple Music at 17%, iHeartRadio at 12%, and SoundCloud at 6%.
When online audio users were asked which service they use most often, Spotify led at 32% overall. Its dominance was strongest among younger listeners, with 49% of those aged 12 to 34 naming Spotify as their most-used service.
YouTube Music ranked second overall at 23%, while it led among Americans 55 and older, where 28% named it their most-used platform.
Social Media Usage Stabilizes as Platform Preferences Shift
The survey also examined broader digital media behavior.
About 85% of Americans aged 12 and older currently use social media, representing roughly 246 million people. Overall adoption has remained relatively stable in recent years after growing from 10% in 2008.
Facebook remains the most widely used social platform at 68%, followed by Instagram at 54%, TikTok at 42%, Reddit at 38%, Pinterest at 35%, LinkedIn at 34%, Snapchat at 31%, and X/Twitter at 30%.
Among emerging platforms, Threads reached 15% usage, while Truth Social stood at 6%, Bluesky at 5%, and Mastodon at 2%.
Platform preference varies significantly by age.
Among social media users aged 12 to 34, TikTok ranked as the most-used platform at 29%, ahead of Instagram at 22% and Facebook at 16%.
Among users 55 and older, Facebook dominated at 66%.
Some platforms also show distinct demographic patterns. Among users who say they most often use X/Twitter, 74% identify as men. Snapchat users skew younger, with 81% of its most-frequent users aged 12 to 34.
Generative AI Adoption Accelerates
Generative AI awareness and adoption also increased significantly.
According to the survey, 93% of Americans report familiarity with at least one generative AI brand, while 57% say they currently use at least one.
AI users reported higher levels of media consumption across several categories, including online audio, podcasts, social media, and YouTube, compared with non-users.
A companion study from Edison’s AI User Metrics service, conducted between February and March 2026 among approximately 1,000 U.S. adults per wave, found that 52% of Americans aged 18 and older use at least one AI chatbot weekly.
The same tracking study recorded a 58% increase in brand awareness for Claude AI from Anthropic between early February and early March 2026.
Smart Devices Continue to Expand
Device ownership trends continue to support the growth of digital media consumption.
Smart TV ownership reached 81% of Americans aged 12 and older in 2026, up from 75% in 2025, representing roughly 233 million people.
Smartphone ownership held steady at 91%, the same level as the previous year, representing approximately 262 million Americans.
Image source: The Infinite Dial® 2026
The full research is available here