Radio’s Audience is Highly Social

May 6, 2013

This article is included in these additional categories:

Boomers & Older | Digital | Global & Regional | Radio | Social Media | Women | Youth & Gen X

JacobsMedia-US-Radio-Listeners-Social-Adoption-May201383% of radio listeners in the US have a profile on a social networking site, according to results from Jacob Media’s Techsurvey 9, which surveyed more than 78,000 listeners across the US and Canada. While social networking use is (unsurprisingly) highest among radio listeners aged 18-34 (91.1% in the US and Canada combined), it’s also quite high among the 55+ crowd (73.5%). By comparison, a recent Pew survey found that 67% of US internet users have a social networking profile, a figure that drops to 52% among 50-64-year-olds, and just 32% among the 65 and older set. What’s more, American radio listeners seem keen to look beyond just Facebook: 29% use Twitter; 21% use Pinterest; and 20% use Google+. Separate research from Pew shows Twitter adoption at 16% of US internet users, and Pinterest adoption at 15%.

The study turns up some somewhat predictable results when sorting by gender: among radio listeners in the US and Canada, women are more likely than men to be using Facebook (82.3% vs. 71.4%), Pinterest (29.9% vs. 6%) and Instagram (15.9% vs. 8.7%), but less likely to be on LinkedIn (29.1% vs. 34.2%). There’s more parity in use of Google+, Twitter, and Foursquare.

Radio stations are doing a good job of using these social platforms to connect with listeners. Almost two-thirds of the survey’s American Facebook users said they have liked the station that sent them the survey, and slightly more than half said they visit the Facebook page of the station that sent the survey at least weekly.

Among American Twitter users, about 3 in 10 follow the station that sent them the survey, or any of its personalities or DJs.

Those connections tend to foster deeper relationships, too. Among US respondents who had connected with the station that sent the survey through Facebook, 60% said being the station’s Facebook fan or friend enabled them to have a stronger relationship with the station. Close to half of those who follow the station (or its personalities) on Twitter said the same.

About the Data: Techsurvey9 results were gathered online from January 29-February 19, 2013. Overall, 264 broadcast stations across the U.S. and Canada participated, contributing 78,111 respondents.

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