A new analysis from Share of Ear study highlights the importance of ad-supported audio as political campaigns gear up for the 2026 U.S. election cycle, finding that 81% of voting-age Americans are reached by ad-supported audio every day.

Among Republicans, AM/FM radio and SiriusXM’s ad-supported spoken-word channels deliver the strongest reach. AM/FM Radio posts an index of 117, indicating Republicans are 17% more likely than the average adult to listen on a typical day. Ad-supported spoken-word programming on SiriusXM ranks even higher with an index of 157.

Democrats show slightly above-average usage of several digital audio platforms, including ad-supported streaming music (index 101), music videos on YouTube (103) and SiriusXM Radio (103). Podcasting is the most efficient platform for reaching Democratic voters, with an index of 107.

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Share of Ear® is survey data, not download or subscriber data. While individual audio sources have their own measures, Share of Ear® surveys listeners to capture ALL of their daily listening in one dataset, providing a level playing field for all audio sources. It is the only audio survey in the U.S. to provide analysis of all audio consumption.

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