US Podcast and Online Audio Consumption Reach Record Highs; Generative AI Being Adopted in Massive Numbers
U.S. podcast and online audio consumption have reached all-time highs, according to The Infinite Dial® 2026, released by Edison Research at SSRS with support from SiriusXM Media.
Presented by Megan Lazovick, Vice President of Edison Research at SSRS, with James Cridland, Editor of Podnews, the study provides critical insights into digital media behaviors, and, debuting this year, generative AI adoption among American consumers.
Key Findings from The Infinite Dial 2026
Online Audio Reaches All-Time High
- 81% of Americans age 12+ (233 million) listened to online audio in the last month, and 76% (219 million) listened in the last week
- Americans age 55+ are driving the most recent increases. Monthly online audio listening among this group jumped from 52% in 2024 to 70% in 2026, a gain of nearly 20 percentage points in just two years
Podcast Consumption Sets New Records
- 80% of Americans age 12+ (230 million) have ever listened to or watched a podcast, an all-time high
- 58% of Americans age 12+ (167 million) have consumed a podcast in the last month, also an all-time high; 68% of 35-54-year-olds have consumed a podcast in the last month, making podcasting a powerful vehicle for reaching one of advertising’s most valued demographics
- 45% of Americans age 12+ (130 million) have consumed a podcast in the last week – yet another all-time high for podcast consumption
- Among Americans age 12+, 57% have both listened to and watched a podcast
“Video isn’t replacing podcast audio. It’s expanding the tent,” says Lazovick. “Whatever your feelings on video podcasts, the data is clear: this is a dual-format medium now.”
Generative AI Being Adopted in Massive Numbers
- 93% of Americans age 12+ are familiar with at least one generative AI brand -- a level of awareness that podcasting has not yet achieved after more than 20 years of measurement
- 57% of Americans age 12+ have ever used a generative AI assistant, a milestone that took podcasting 16 years to reach
- AI users are significantly more engaged across digital media; 87% listened to online audio in the last week compared to 61% of non-users, and more than half of AI users are weekly podcast consumers, versus roughly one-third of AI non-users
For those tracking AI adoption in real time, Edison Research at SSRS has launched AI User Metrics, a new ongoing subscription product that surveys Americans 18+ twice monthly using the SSRS Opinion Panel. Among its early findings: awareness of Claude AI from Anthropic increased by 58% between early February and mid-March 2026.
Other Key Findings:
- Social media platform preference varies sharply by age. TikTok is now the most-used social media platform among Americans ages 12-34, preferred by 29% of that group. Facebook is used most often by 40% of social media users and is dominant among those 55 and older. X skews male and ages 35-54, while Snapchat’s audience is overwhelmingly under 35
- Nine in ten Americans age 12+ have ever used YouTube; 84% use YouTube monthly and 78% use YouTube weekly
“The Infinite Dial remains one of the most trusted, enduring studies of audio and media behavior.” says Keri Degroote, SVP, Sales Research & Analytics at SiriusXM Media. “The long-running dataset delivers invaluable insight into how audiences evolve over time, and we’re proud for SiriusXM Media to support research that helps shape the future of audio.”
About Edison Research at SSRS
Edison Research conducts survey research and provides strategic information to a broad array of clients worldwide, having conducted research in 66 countries. Edison Research’s The Infinite Dial® series has been the survey of record for digital audio, social media, podcasting, smart speakers, and other media-related technologies since 1998. The company’s Share of Ear® survey is the only single-source measure of all audio in the U.S. Edison Research is the leading podcast research company in the world, producing the only survey-based data on podcast listening in the U.S, Edison Podcast Metrics, and has conducted research for many companies in the space. On October 15, 2025, Edison Research announced the company’s acquisition by the full-service market research firm SSRS.
This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.