When ads come on during a podcast, the skip button can start looking quite tempting. So that has to hurt ad efficacy, right? Not quite, according to new research that shows more than half of podcast listeners who routinely skip ads have still acted on one.
YouGov’s US Podcast Ads Report 2026 surveyed media consumers across audio and video podcast formats. The firm did not release sample size or methodology details in its public summary.
Six in ten podcast consumers have taken some form of action after hearing or seeing an ad, according to the study. Among those who report usually skipping ads, 55% have still acted on one, including 14% who made a purchase. Across all podcast consumers, 30% have visited a brand’s website after hearing an audio ad, 30% have searched for a brand or product online, and 16% have made a purchase.
YouGov America Vice President Dare Schenck framed the finding as a measurement problem as much as a creative one. “Consumers appreciate the control to skip ads, yet the medium continues to generate strong downstream results. Our data suggests marketers should focus less on whether every ad is consumed in full and more on whether it influences behavior. By that measure, podcast advertising remains a highly effective channel.”
The report also found that podcast ads carry a lower annoyance rating than other digital formats. Only 25% of media consumers called podcast ads annoying, compared with 50% for display ads and 46% for video platform ads. Host-read ads ranked as the most trustworthy format, identified as such by one in five podcast consumers.
Video podcasts are now the preferred format for 40% of podcast consumers, compared with 28% who prefer audio-only. Action rates held consistent across both groups — 65% of audio-only consumers and 60% of video consumers reported taking action after an ad — suggesting the format shift is expanding the addressable audience rather than cannibalizing it.
