A few weeks ago we examined podcast stats related to religious podcasts. So, in the interest of continuing to talk about the taboo, in this week’s edition of Podcast Stats Soundbites we thought we’d take a look at political podcasts. Because here we are again–in the US, at least. A few months removed from the 2018 midterm elections, and just under two years from the 2020 presidential election. Which means, of course, that the party not in the White House is off to the (primary) races. Which got us thinking: how does the podcasting space react to elections in the US? But first, the obligatory disclaimer: we are here to look at podcast stats data, not to endorse a particular political point of view.
Well. It’s like you might expect: a presidential election year generates an increase in the number of Political podcasts. But, in the 9 months immediately following a presidential election–going back to 2008–there are new podcasts added in all categories across the board. And Religion reigns supreme. By far.
News & Politics podcasts did see a (relative) 25% jump (from 4.35% to 5.4%) in the number of new podcasts in the 9 months following the 2016 presidential election. But that only took them to 5.4% of total new podcasts created.
| Presidential Election Year | Percentage of New Podcasts That Are Political |
| 2008 | 4.44 |
| 2012 | 4.35 |
| 2016 | 5.40 |
So, for all the attention the news media gives presidential elections, and for all the chatter on social networks, it appears that people would rather share their perspectives and stories in podcasts about religion, culture & travel, comedy, and business. In a followup post, we will examine the number of listeners these new podcasts generate. Here’s a hint, though, from a previous Podcast Stats Soundbite: Religious podcasts dominate both new podcast creation and downloads per episode.