Podcast listening locations reflect travel preferences with Brits listening more on public transport and walking than US podcast listeners according Edison Research in a recent Edison Podcast Metrics report. When asked Americans often associate the UK with double-decker buses and The Beatles crossing the street outside Abbey Road Studios. It turns out these iconic figures represent things that podcast listeners in the UK do a lot more than their cousins in the US — listen on public transport and while walking around.
Whilst the majority of people surveyed say they listen to podcasts most often whilst at home, some clear cultural differences emerge when the researchers asked about podcast listening in other settings.
In the UK, respondents are far more likely than those in the US to say they listen most while ‘walking around or on foot’ – it is the choice of 14% of weekly podcast listeners in the UK, but only 6% in the US. Similarly, Brits are three times more likely to say they listen most while on public transport (6%) than their American podcast-listening counterparts (2%).
The percentage of weekly podcast listeners who listen most in the car is higher in the US due to America’s car-dominated commute culture. Fifteen percent of respondents in the US say the car is the location where they listen most, as compared to 10% in the UK.
Edison Podcast Metrics is unique in that it is not dependent on podcast download data and does not require podcast networks to opt into its service. Weekly podcast listeners in the UK and US are surveyed each quarter for the service, and listening behaviour is collected regardless of listening platform. The same methodology is employed in the UK as is used in the US to enable comparison between the two markets.
