As pandemic restrictions are lifted and Irish consumers return to some degree of normality, new research carried out by Radio Centre Ireland shows that 9 out of 10 adults listen to the radio every day.
The research shows that during the pandemic, over a third of people changed their listening habits, largely due to working from home. This included listening to more radio, listening to more stations and at different times and on different platforms.
Podcast listening, according to the research, also increased with 50% of adults saying they listen to podcasts, rising to 76% for 18-34 year olds.
The research, which was carried out by Amarach, also shows that a large percentage of people (27%) said they listened more to news, current affairs 23%) and talk shows (20%) as the pandemic unfolded. In addition, a large portion of those surveyed said when working from home, said radio helped keep them company (46%), lift their mood (28%) and even help them focus and be more productive (18%).
“Not only was radio a trusted source of news and information during the pandemic, it was also a companion for people working from home and a lot of people want to continue working from home post pandemic restrictions,” says Ciaran Cunningham, CEO of Radiocentre Ireland.
“The research also shows that post restrictions, people are itching to spend their money on areas that they missed hugely, namely leisure and travel are spending more on eating out, holidays and concerts,” he adds.
“While recent developments in Ukraine have added to economic uncertainty, Irish consumers are nevertheless in ‘catch up’ mode when it comes to their spending behaviour after two years of pandemic and lockdowns. They have piled up more savings than before, which will be used to do some of the catching up in the months ahead,” adds Gerard O’Neill, Amarach Research.