Which Listeners Are Wired?

"The things that you're li'ble to read in the bible."
– Ira Gershwin

Age and sex are the primary determinants of Internet and on-line use among public radio listeners.

Web surfers tend to be young.  Listeners in their 20s and early 30s are the most likely to spend time in cyberspace.  Nearly two-thirds are wired.

These young, ultra-wired listeners constitute a small portion of most public radio stations' audiences.

Looking for Luddites? Try your older listeners. Listeners born before 1946 steer clear of the information superhighway – especially if they are retired.

These older, non-wired listeners constitute a significant portion of public radio's classical music audience.

Internet is a guy thing.  No matter their age, women are less likely than men to spend time in cyberspace.  Sixty percent of your female listeners don’t use Internet or on-line services at all.   In contrast, listening to public radio is split fairly evenly between women and men.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to use the Internet, but a graduate degree helps. More than two-thirds of your listeners who use the Internet have a master’s degree or more. Public radio has, on average, a better educated audience than most media. In years of formal schooling, web surfers rank near the top.

Actualizers, that VALS^TM 2 type that constitutes more than a third of all public radio listeners, like Internet the most.

Two-thirds of these well-heeled, take charge, information seekers are on line – compared to one-third of the Fulfilleds, public radio’s other dominant VALS group.

Actualizers and Experiencers are the most likely to be surfin' and listenin'.   Keep in mind, though, that only five percent of public radio's listeners are Experiencers, compared to the 35 percent who are Actualizers.

– Michael Arnold
Program Director, WUNC
AUDIENCE 98 Associate

Audience Research Analysis
Copyright © ARA and CPB.  All rights reserved.
Revised: September 01, 2000 12:38 PM.