Study Finds Headphones Listening May Be Higher

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, February 27, 2017

Data released by Alan Burns and Associates and Strategic Solutions Research suggests that the amount of listening by women while wearing headphones may be far higher than most would have guessed. "Almost half (49%) of all women 15-54 told us they wear headphones during some of their time spent with radio" said Burns, "and the number is higher among heavy radio listeners (56%) and at work listeners (57%). Those numbers are well beyond ours and most people's expectations."

"Many of those women use headphones for a great deal of their time spent listening," added Strategic Executive VP Hal Rood. "15% of women told us they use headphones for half or more of their radio listening; if that listening was not accurately measured it can have a massive impact on radio AQH."

The bigger story, though, may lie in what actual ratings participants said. The Burns/Strategic "What Women Want" survey of 2000 respondents found 142 former ratings survey participants among the sample.

"The numbers escalate dramatically among women who had actually been part of a ratings sample," said Burns. "More than four out of every ten of them said they wear headphones or earbuds during half or more of their radio listening. That's enormous; imagine how incomplete measurement of that kind of listening could impact listening estimates. It's critical that headphone listening be captured and measured fully and accurately, and we know Nielsen is working on the issue."