OLD HABITS versus CHANGE — For some people, especially those in an older generation, podcast listening means change to an activity that is unfamiliar to them. In their case, resistance is not futile!
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The podcasting media continues to extol the growth in the popularity of podcasts, either audio or video. According to Infinite Dial, 81 percent of Americans age 12+ (233 million) listened to online audio in the last month, and 76 percent (219 million) listened in the last week. 45 percent of Americans age 12+ (130 million) have consumed a podcast in the last week – yet another all-time high for podcast consumption.
I do not want to rain on that parade. HOWEVER. There are still resisters to podcasts. Luddites, people of vintage origins, cranks, people with oppositional disorder, flip phones acolytes, and those who cannot process any information that’s longer than a two-minute TikTok video.
We launched an investigation into why some people do not listen to podcasts. Our investigation included RBWOAAP, which means research by walking around and asking people. Then, we utilized the sentinels of podcast numbers such as Sounds Profitable, Infinite Dial, SiriusXM for analysis. Finally, we consulted a few podcast experts.
Before we begin, let’s examine some important data. In a Podcast Landscape study, with a sample of over 5,000 Americans, weighted to the U.S. Census, 25 percent of adults 18 and older say they have never consumed a podcast in any way, shape, or form.
The same study found that 88 percent of respondents in the last quarter say they’re aware of the term “podcast.” Only 12 percent don’t know the word — and that’s 12 percent of the last quarter, which is just three percent of all adults.
The holdouts are older and female. Sixty-one percent are 55-plus — nothing like the US. population as a whole, and nothing like the podcast audience. Fifty-eight percent are women. As Tom Webster of Sounds Profitable explains in the study, “So we’re looking at a population that is a significant majority of older women who have not been reached successfully by podcasting, or perhaps are not aware that they have been.”
The Podcast Landscape study also reveals that 46 percent have a high school diploma or less, while 48 percent have a household income below $50,000. Only eight percent earn $150,000 or more, versus 20 percent nationally.
Mr. Webster concludes: “That says nothing about their ability to access or consume podcasts. It says everything about the bubbles we live in. The number-one source of podcast discovery is word of mouth, and if you’re in an area where nobody else is consuming podcasts, the mouth has no word.”
Let’s start by establishing our Five Reasons People Don’t Listen To Podcasts –
1. Tech challenged
2. Too resistant to change
3. Social media addicts
4. Video centric
5. Busy, Busy, Busy
Podcast listening is most often accomplished via smartphone, and while smartphone usage is growing among older Americans, it still lags behind that of younger Americans.
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It’s been podcasting conventional wisdom that older people don’t listen to podcasts because they are technology challenged. For example, one friend of mine, Rusty, subscribes to three streaming services. Yet, his son and daughter-in-law, who live next door, must come over and use the TV remote to access Netflix, Peacock, and Pluto for him. A neighbor of mine has a flip phone that he finds tricky to use and admits he has over 100 voicemails he cannot access.
Although podcasting is being consumed more at home on TVs, listening to a podcast generally entails access to a smartphone. According to the Pew Research Center, smartphone usage hovers around 70 percent for people in their 70s. By the time people hit their 80s, usage has dropped to less than 45 percent.
For older Americans, barriers include a preference for traditional media (radio/TV), and technical challenges with apps, lack of awareness of niche content, and a preference for visual entertainment, as well as fewer podcasts catering to their interests.
Yet, there’s good news here. According to Infinite Dial, Americans age 55+ listening to online audio has jumped from 52 percent in 2024 to 70 percent in 2026, a gain of nearly 20 percentage points in just two years. This is an issue that disappears with time. Older people are getting better with technology, and younger people learn tech as a young age. I’ve seen pre-school children in restaurants navigate through screens in a tablet app like someone from an Apple Genius Bar.
People hate change, usually because they are afraid of it. This reason can also have a cohort that skews Baby Boomer generation. I have an Uncle who insists that he must let his car (2023 Buick Regal) warm up for at least 20 minutes before driving. I have mentioned several times that, thanks to fuel injection and modern oil, he only needs to idle for 30 seconds to one minute to circulate oil before driving. That same Uncle won’t listen to a podcast because he doesn’t have a smartphone, or a smart TV, and he insists on watching only two cable channels – Fox News and Cozi TV.
A recent survey by Pew found that people still use flip phones for two primary reasons. First, they are fearful of learning how to use a smartphone. Second, they do not feel comfortable to any change that disrupts a familiar routine.
Moment Editorial/Getty Images
In one ear…Some people are comfortable with their lifestyle and see no need to make any changes. According to CIAT, approximately 30 percent of people are active resisters to change, while another 50 percent are neutral or “fence-sitters.” In fact, improvements in both comfort, ease of use, and reduced cost is often irrelevant to those who hang on old habits and familiar materialistic goods that feel comforting.
These people can have an oppositional disposition to anything that either wasn’t available when they grew up, or seems to be a new technology they have absolutely no need for. Wireless companies have designed simple-to-use smartphones for such people with limited success. Flip phones are often more expensive because of the lack of scale in these phones today.
Yet, some people evince the infamous Charlton Heston quote about his rifle being pried "from my cold, dead hands!" when discussing switching from a flip phone to a smartphone.
This aversion to change manifests itself in a rigid resistance to podcast listening. For many in this cohort, lack of awareness of niche content that podcasts provide, an ingrained preference for visual entertainment, and a vague sense that podcasts won’t cater to their interests, sustains their “no podcast” status.
Before TV remote controls, and households with multiple TVs, family TV viewing was a popular activity. (Photo by Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty Images)
Corbis via Getty Images
This reason is also generational in nature. Baby Boomers and Gen Xers grew up with TV screens as either babysitters or emotional pacifiers. More than 90 percent of American households owned a television by 1960. Given this widespread adoption, TV quickly became a common tool for keeping children occupied, with usage increasing throughout the decade as television became central to daily American home life. In essence, these two generations were, and are, video-centric.
Old habits die hard, as they say, and is one reason why older Americans still prefer TV to other forms of media. By contrast, nearly half (49%) of American parents with school-age or younger children rely on computer screens daily to manage parenting responsibilities, with about 68 percent of U.S. parents reporting their child uses a tablet. Furthermore, 80 percent of households with children own a tablet, and nearly 3 in 4 (71%) have used screens to manage behavior in public. It is not uncommon to see a family in a restaurant with the younger children preoccupied with tablets and teens with her eyes burrowed into their phone screens.
As leisure time continues to be compressed due to economic factors, there is less time for podcast listening or viewing.
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Americans are busier than ever. Much of that frenetic activity is driven by the need for more income. About 38 percent of workers work 41-59 hours, and 15 percent work over 60 hours per week, according to a 2025 Gallup.com poll. Full-time, salaried workers often exceed this, with an average closer to 50 hours, with technology requiring many salaried workers to be available to work at a moment’s notice. Moreover, the number of multiple jobholders reached a record high in late 2025 (9.3 million), with many citing financial necessity, due to rising costs of living and stagnant wages.
Podcasts have succeeded in finding a place in Americans’ busy lives by offering access to its media while performing other tasks or routines. In vehicles, podcasts are stress relievers during commute times. On public transit, headphones or earbuds can transform a hellish, overcrowded subway, bus, or train ride into a bearable experience. Household chores are often accompanied by podcasts, often comedy, true-crime or history, and leisure activities like gardening are a perfect complement to an inviting podcast.
Americans have an average of 5.07 hours of daily leisure and sports activities as of 2024, with men averaging 5.5 hours and women 4.7 hours. Podcasting has secured a spot in the daily routines of Americans by managing to be accessible during work and commute hours, enabling Americans to still enjoy their primary leisure activity, watching TV, (2.6 hours daily), accounting for over half of all free time, followed by computer use and gaming.
The point here is that between work, family, a social life, and leisure, Americans do not have a lot of extra time hanging around to incorporate podcasting into their daily routines. At some point, the cup is full. Too often, one activity surges as the other declines. For instance, studies show over 80 percent of people find games more engaging than TV, with many prioritizing screen time for games over linear, broadcast content.
None of these aforementioned five reasons will keep podcasting from increasing its popularity. According to the Brookings Institute, Millennials (born 1981–1996) and Generation Z (born 1997–2012) are the largest U.S. generations, each making up over 20 percent of the population, with Millennials generally holding the top spot at roughly 22 percent. Baby Boomers (1946–1964) and Gen X (1965–1980) follow, with declining shares due to aging.
Newer generations are much more comfortable and adept with technology, enabling greater podcast usage.
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As the technological challenges of accessing a podcast fade, and podcasting is no longer viewed as something new, the number of Americans consuming podcasts will continue to grow.
One of podcasting’s most redeeming qualities is its ability to slide seamlessly into people’s daily routines. Learn about the North American Bison in 15 minutes from Everything Everywhere Daily on the gridlock commute into Manhattan. Or listen to Gastropod while you’re working out at the fitness center to improve your nutritional habits. Or listen to the Ross Tucker Football podcast while having lunch on an outside bench. You do not have budget time to listen to a podcast. Instead, you just decide when and where in your daily routine does a podcast fit your headspace. Sometimes at bedtime, I put on the Calm History podcast, which is this unique mix of education with sedation. I’m generally asleep in about ten minutes and sleep as soundly as Ben Franklin, who was known for his consistent and disciplined sleep schedule, which he credited for his productivity.
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