Who’s not listening to podcasts: Understanding the non-engaged audience Data snapshot

Laura Fisher

June 2026

Understanding who is not listening to podcasts is equally as important as understanding who is.

While podcast audiences continue to grow, a significant proportion of consumers remain unengaged with the medium, representing both a challenge and an opportunity for brands, publishers, and platforms.

This data snapshot illuminates the demographics, media habits, and key characteristics associated with the least engaged cohort i.e., those who state podcasts do not appeal to them. This group will be referred to as ‘the non-engaged’.

Conversion efforts often fail when they focus solely on existing audiences rather than addressing the reasons people have not adopted a channel in the first place. By understanding who the least engaged cohort are, organisations can develop more targeted strategies to attract new audiences and expand the reach of podcast content.

Understanding the different types of non-listeners provides valuable context for interpreting the current podcast landscape. It highlights which segments remain outside the medium, how they differ from listeners, and who out of the non-listeners are lowest hanging fruit for engagement.

Key data and insights in this snapshot:

Consumer average podcast non-engagement rate and most popular methods of podcast consumption
Demographic analysis of the non-engaged segment
Comparison of the most popular social media platforms and social video categories across podcast listeners and the non-engaged
Analysis of monthly audio behaviours among all consumers, the non-engaged, and podcast MAUs

Data from:

MIDiA Research Consumer Survey Q3 2025 US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Mexico, n=7,021

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