Midterm fever, a squeezed economy, and a crowded dashboard are shaping public radio’s next chapter. Listener research presented this week finds loyal supporters giving more, an audience that keeps getting older, and a video habit that stations are only beginning to tap.
Jacobs Media’s Public Radio Techsurvey 2026 drew 17,013 responses from core users of 49 US public radio stations between June 9 and July 14. Respondents came mostly from station membership and email databases, and results are weighted only by market size. Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs presented the findings during a webinar on October 7. The opt-in survey does not represent all public radio listeners.
Of respondents, 44% strongly agree they feel a sense of connection to their station, compared with 35% of commercial radio listeners and 48% of Christian music listeners in Jacobs Media’s companion surveys. As Radio Ink reported in September, 72% say they are providing increased support because of the political climate, up from 64% in 2025 and 37% in 2024. Another 42% donate every year and increased their gift, and 20% expect to give more next year. About three-quarters expect to give the same amount.
Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs stated, “And the really great news is they have your back. I mean, they really are incredibly supportive.”
As in commercial radio, the economy is a headwind. Some 53% say it is having a major negative effect (10%) or a significant one (43%) on their household. Among those hit hardest, 69% still say they are increasing their support. The most effective appeal tested, at 72%, is that federal funding cuts mean the station needs more listener support than ever.
Jacobs commented, “And what we find out is even though they are having financial problems, seven of every 10 are saying, I’m going to increase my support to public radio. So that’s incredible.”
The Net Promoter Score came in at 70 for the second straight year, compared with 48 for commercial radio and 82 for Christian music. AAA listeners scored their stations at 80 and News Talk listeners at 66. Another 40% say they listen only to public radio, and eight in 10 listen only or mostly to public radio.
The average respondent is about 66.5 years old, slightly younger than in 2025, and listeners 65 and older remain the majority of the sample. Broadcast accounts for 54% of listening to the respondent’s primary station and digital for 43%, compared with 83% and 16% in 2013. AAA stations have already flipped, at 45% broadcast and 53% digital. Some 68% own a working radio they use at home, down from 83% in 2018, and Millennials are the least likely to have one. About 22% listen to audio on a smart TV. In April, Radio Ink covered Jacobs Media’s commercial radio Techsurvey, which put broadcast’s share of time at 54%.
Jacobs remarked, “These are steady listeners. They are regular givers, but they are clearly aging.”
Local remains a draw. Some 74% agree that one of radio’s primary advantages is its local feel, matching a record high set in 2025. Only 39% strongly agree their station is well connected to the local community, down from 45% in 2022, and 47% want to see their station be more visible in the community. That figure reaches 68% among Millennials.
Jacobs expressed, “I think this is an incredible opportunity for stations that are intentional about committing to the local area.”
On mobile, 44% have downloaded their station’s app, compared with 55% for Christian music, and 57% of those users rate it excellent. Among app users, 77% use the stream. Also, 33% say they are using social media more to discover news, up four points, and 33% time-shift radio programming. About 17% use news push notifications weekly, and 75% of them find the alerts valuable. Weekly use of AI jumped from 13% to 23%. While 12% say they are listening to public radio more and 9% less, listeners cutting back cite the political climate, a lifestyle change, and non-radio sources (35%, up from 29%).
In the car, AM/FM accounts for 52% of audio time, down from 65% in 2018. Satellite radio holds 14%, and personal music and streaming each hold 9%. Among connected-car owners, AM/FM falls to 39% and other audio rises to 59%. Among AAA listeners, other audio now outpaces the car radio. Some 73% have a dashboard that displays artist and title, and 46% pay close or above-average attention to it. Listeners most want song title and artist (63%), emergency weather (50%), and breaking news alerts.
Hosts are a main reason to listen for 40% of respondents, about 20 points below the share for commercial radio personalities.
Jacobs articulated, “I definitely would love to see public radio amp up the personality presence, whether it’s on the network side, which most of you cannot control, but on the local side, you can. Having at least one person in the building who can be the face of the radio station and who can work their magic on the audience and on sponsors and all of that.”
Video is rising. Some 35% watch short videos daily, and 25% of weekly podcast users watch video versions, up from 19% in 2025. About 59% use YouTube weekly, compared with 62% of commercial radio listeners. Roughly four in 10 say they visit their station’s YouTube channel often or occasionally.
Midterm interest is high. Some 71% plan to follow the election very closely, up from 64% in 2022 and in line with 2024 and 2020. That figure reaches 94% among News Junkies.
Jacobs stated, “You know, you might have an opportunity to put out a voter guide or something to kind of lean into the election because I don’t think there’s any question that especially for you news talk stations, it is going to be bigger than we might have ever imagined.”
