A pair of recent surveys show podcast listening is growing in Canada, building a stable monthly audience of well-educated, ad-receptive fans.

Vividata’s Listen to This: The Digital Audio Audience in Canada survey found that the number of Canadians 18-plus who say they’ve listened to a podcast in the past month has tripled to 9.9 million — approximately one third of the country — since 2016.

The study shows podcasts are currently more likely to reach Gen Z and Gen Y males with higher incomes: 22% earn between $50,000 – $75,000, and 24% make over $75,000. Spotify and YouTube rated as the most popular audio streaming channels among study participants.

The 2020 Canadian Podcast Listener, a study sponsored by The Podcast Exchange (TPX) and produced in partnership with Signal Hill Insights, similarly shows the podcast audience as young, relatively affluent and male by majority.

But it also suggests women are gaining ground, currently representing 48% of monthly podcast listeners, up from 43% in 2017.

The TPX study shows weekly listeners are spending more time listening to podcasts, spending an average of 6.2 hours per week, up from 5.2 hours last year. They’re also listening to 10% more episodes of any given podcast in a week than they reported last year.

Monthly listening among English-speaking Canadians has reached 30%, up from 25% three years ago. Among Francophones, however, monthly listenership has dropped to 17% from 20% in the same period.

Overall, TPX’s survey participants report that they concentrate more closely when they listen to podcasts than when watching short videos, checking social media, or listening to music. Podcast listeners are also receptive to brand messages, reporting they are less likely to avoid a podcast ad than an ad delivered via any other media.

Image by Blaz Erzetic, Unsplash