JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Edison Research’s annual Infinite Dial study was released this week. The study tracks American media and technology adoption across age, gender, and platform.
Online audio in the car, which includes streaming music services, reached 48%, more than double its 21% figure from a decade ago. Podcasts came in at 37%.
But the data makes clear that the digital migration in-car is no longer a gradual drift; it is accelerating, particularly among younger drivers.
Among those aged 18 to 34, 73% listened to online audio in the car in the past month, and 55% listened to podcasts. Radio holds its strongest in-car position among the 55-and-older group, where 81% reported using AM/FM in their vehicles.
That loyalty may no longer translate outside of vehicles, though.
Online audio monthly listening among Americans 55 and older jumped from 52% in 2024 to 70% in 2026.
Overall, 81% of all Americans aged 12 and older now report listening to online audio in the past month, an all-time high representing an estimated 233 million people.
But while listening among younger age groups has been essentially flat for three years, the growth engine is now firmly in the 55-plus demographic, historically over-the-air radio’s most loyal and heaviest-listening audience.
The full 2026 Infinite Dial dataset is available via Edison Research.
(Thanks to Radio Ink for generating this story)
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