GEN Z MAKES UP THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF PODCAST LISTENERS

Studies find that 11 to 26 year old listeners are growing at double the rate of any other demographic

Gen Z ( those who were born between 1997 and 2012) are quickly becoming the majority of podcast listeners in the US since 2019. The Spotify Culture Next Report is an annual showing from the audio-focused platform for potential advertisers. The numbers in these reports show just how many listeners there are worldwide and across the globe. The 2022 report has been released and is solely focused on the majority demographic of listeners: young adults between the age of 18 and 24. The report shows that Gen Z podcast listeners in the US increased by 62% on Spotify between Q1 2022 and the year prior.

The report shows that the next generation is transforming how we interact with podcasts by changing it from the traditional 1-way communication to a 2-way interaction. By now, the world is used to creator supportive platforms like Patreon that depends on fans to donate to their favorites in exchange for more content and extra communication. Discord, TikTok, and more are fueling the growing relationship between creators and fans.

Gen Z is a very unique generation in that they most of their earliest memories are post the September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda and many were born into homes with iPhones and Facebook. In fact (in case you don't feel old yet), half of them can look up their baby photos on Facebook from the original posts on the date the photos were taken. How they work out their issues and communicate about what's on their minds is much different than any previous generation.

Podcasting provides a safe place where twentysomethings can process their experiences and they want to find other voices that they can relate to. Finding a way to speak to those listeners would be beneficial for any podcast.

You can find the full report here: https://ads.spotify.com/en-US/culture-next/