With two months until election day, both political parties are ramping up ad spend on national and state levels. With ten major battleground states predicted to decide who our next president is, there’s currently one clear winner in all of them: radio.
As of September 5, national polls put Vice President Kamala Harris 3.2 points ahead of Former President Donald Trump, but with every vote counting, Katz Media Group has unveiled a comprehensive analysis of voter engagement and key issues in ten pivotal battleground states. This research highlights the demographics of radio listeners who are registered voters and identifies the prevailing concerns that may influence their voting behavior.
The compiled Scarborough research data indicates that an average of 87% of radio listeners in these states are registered voters. Adult Contemporary and Country music lead among the radio formats most popular with registered voters, reflecting sizeable advertising opportunities for politicians that could impact voter turnout and preferences.
In Michigan and Arizona, Adult Contemporary is the preferred format, with 93% and 81% of radio listeners registered to vote respectively. For Georgia, Urban radio dominates, with 85% of listeners being registered voters. Country music is the most popular format in Montana and Wisconsin, with both states having 89% of their radio audience registered as voters.
Finally, Nevada and New Hampshire display distinct preferences with Adult Contemporary and News/Talk/Sports leading respectively.
Inflation is overwhelmingly the top issue in each state, with Social Security also an area of national concern among voters. Other significant concerns include Immigration Reform/Rights and Gun Issues, varying by state and likely influencing local electoral outcomes.
This new compilation complements previous Katz data showing AM/FM as a highly trusted media source among American voters, transcending the political divide. Radio received the highest trust ratings, with 80% of participants considering it trustworthy, significantly ahead of other media forms such as newspapers, magazines, and television, with social media ranking the lowest.
Democrats generally showed higher trust levels in all media except social media, while Republicans demonstrated lower trust, especially in traditional media. Independents, critical in elections, displayed deep skepticism towards most media, with notably low trust in social media. Among all groups, radio stood out as the most trusted medium for both Independents and Republicans and was highly trusted by Democrats, again showing the medium’s value to candidates.
