Podcasts Emerge as Top Trusted Media amid Growing Skepticism: Acast Study

The findings of a new study conducted by Acast, the largest independent podcast company in the world, show that US consumers highly trust podcasts as a medium. According to a study of US consumers, more than any other media personality tested, 64% of podcast listeners actively seek out podcasters and create time for their content, making the time spent with podcasts highly engaging and intentional.

These findings come at a time when trust in US media has reached an all-time low, with research from Gallup and the Knight Foundation reporting that half of Americans think national news organisations intentionally mislead them. Podcasters are becoming the media industry's reliable sources of information in this age of scepticism and false information.

In fact, more people trust podcasters than any other tested medium, according to Acast's research, at 50% of listeners. YouTubers are the second most trusted group, according to 44% of YouTube users who use the service. Notably, many of these popular YouTube personalities are also podcasters as YouTube becomes a top platform for listening to podcasts.

Because of social unrest, conflicting news coverage of the same events, and other factors, trust in the US media has been declining recently. US consumers are increasingly turning to podcasters as a source of truth as they have lost faith in traditional media, according to Tommy Walters, director of research and insights at Acast. "At Acast, we consistently observe audiences turning to podcasts for in-depth discussions and analysis over clickbait headlines during difficult and uncertain times, such as the start of the pandemic and the beginning of the war in Ukraine. We have also observed that audiences place more faith in podcaster product recommendations than any other form of media when it comes to product endorsements.

Given that US consumers prefer podcasters to all other media personalities when looking for product endorsements, podcasting presents a wealth of opportunities for advertisers. 75% of podcast listeners claim to have listened to a podcaster for a product endorsement, compared to 62% of social media users who claim to have looked for social media creators and just 55% of cable viewers who claim to have thought about cable TV personalities.

Importantly, this research also showed that podcasters provide reliable product and brand recommendations. According to the study, 73% of US consumers who have used a podcast recommendation said they were pleased with what they got and that the podcaster provided a good recommendation.

To download this full study, please click here.

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