NATIONWIDE RESEARCH AT A GLANCE
March 2017
Christian Radio Listeners Top Reasons for Listening by Age
In the 2016 Finney Media Why Listen? nationwide Survey, we asked Christian Radio listeners across the US why they listen to Christian Radio. Here are their top main reasons for listening, broken down by age bracket:
| Adults Under 34 | Adults 35-44 | Adults 45-54 | ||||||
| 1 | I like the worshipful Christian music | 82% | 1 | I like the worshipful Christian music | 82% | 1 | I like the worshipful Christian music | 82% |
| 2 | I want to be encouraged | 75% | 2 | I want to be encouraged | 77% | 2 | I want to be encouraged | 79% |
| 3 | It helps me grow spiritually | 75% | 3 | It helps me grow spiritually | 76% | 3 | It helps me grow spiritually | 79% |
| 4 | I want to get away from negativity (messages or music) on other stations | 72% | 4 | It’s safe for me and my family to listen to | 75% | 4 | I want to get away from negativity (messages or music) on other stations | 68% |
| 5 | It’s safe for me and my family to listen to | 69% | 5 | I want to get away from negativity (messages or music) on other stations | 70% | 5 | It’s safe for me and my family to listen to | 63% |
| 6 | I want to help spread the Truth | 53% | 6 | I want to help spread the Truth | 52% | 6 | I want to help spread the Truth | 55% |
| 7 | I want to escape from the pressures of everyday life | 44% | 7 | It helps me to understand Scripture better | 41% | 7 | It helps me to understand Scripture better | 46% |
| 8 | It encourages me to be more kind | 44% | 8 | It encourages me to be more kind | 40% | 8 | The presentation is calming | 44% |
| 9 | It helps me to understand Scripture better | 40% | 9 | The presentation is calming | 40% | 9 | It encourages me to be more kind | 42% |
| 10 | The presentation is calming | 39% | 10 | I want to escape from the pressures of everyday life | 39% | 10 | I want to escape from the pressures of everyday life | 39% |
| Adults 55-64 | Adults 65+ | ||||
| 1 | It helps me grow spiritually | 82% | 1 | It helps me grow spiritually | 84% |
| 2 | I like the worshipful Christian music | 79% | 2 | I want to be encouraged | 73% |
| 3 | I want to be encouraged | 77% | 3 | I like the worshipful Christian music | 70% |
| 4 | I want to get away from negativity (messages or music) on other stations | 63% | 4 | It helps me to understand Scripture better | 63% |
| 5 | I want to help spread the Truth | 59% | 5 | I want to help spread the Truth | 60% |
| 6 | It’s safe for me and my family to listen to | 56% | 6 | I want to get away from negativity (messages or music) on other stations | 58% |
| 7 | It helps me to understand Scripture better | 55% | 7 | It’s safe for me and my family to listen to | 54% |
| 8 | It gives me a Christian perspective on the news | 44% | 8 | It gives me a Christian perspective on the news | 53% |
| 9 | The presentation is calming | 44% | 9 | I want to hear the sermons | 44% |
| 10 | It encourages me to be more kind | 43% | 10 | The presentation is calming | 43% |
A number of fascinating findings as we break down the Main Reasons Christian radio listeners listen.
In each demographic break – from younger to older – notice how “It helps me grow spiritually” grows as a Main Reason, almost as if these listeners take our call to grow closer to Jesus more seriously the closer they get to spending eternity with Jesus. A similar trend line on “It helps me to understand Scripture better,” which grows from significantly as a Main Reason to listen from younger to older listeners.
Conversely, look how “It’s safe for me and my family to listen to” and “I want to get away from the negativity on other stations” drop as Main Reasons as the audience gets older.
And check this out – “I like the worshipful Christian music” and “I want to be encouraged” are dominant Main Reasons among young, middle aged and older.
Coming in Finney Media’s Fast Five for April: From the nationwide Finney Media Why Listen? Survey, we asked listeners why they give to Christian radio. We’ll give you the Top Reasons Christian Radio Listeners Give To Christian Radio, broken down by age.
