Who Listens?
90,000 listeners each week | 58,000 in the Asheville metro
- $92,400 is the average household income
- 88% have more positive opinions of organizations that support public radio – known as the “halo effect”
- Independent Consumers. WCQS listeners tend to be highly brand-loyal. In fact, they are much less likely than the average shopper to make impulse purchases or to switch brands simply for the sake of variety. Product quality, corporate reputation and environmental responsibility are all key drivers of our listeners’ purchasing decisions.
Gender. Our audience has a slightly greater concentration of men (54%) than women (46%). The classical audience draws the largest segment (50%) of female listeners.
Age. NPR is particularly popular among Baby Boomers (b. 1946-1964). Nearly two-thirds of listeners lie between the ages 35 and 64. The median age is 49.
Education. WCQS’ audience is extraordinarily well-educated. Nearly seven in ten listeners have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to only 27% of the U.S. population. Also, they are three times more likely than the average American to have completed graduate school.
Race & Ethnicity. The majority of the NPR audience (87%) identifies itself as white. Hispanics make up the second largest audience, comprising 6% of all listeners. A third of jazz listeners are African-American. Despite all this, lifestyle and consumption patterns are similar for listeners across ethnic groups.
Income. NPR households tend to be more affluent than other households, primarily as a result of their educational attainment. The median household income of a WCQS listener is about $92,400, compared to the national average of about $59,500.
Marital Status. Two-thirds of our listeners are married, 22% are single, and 9% are legally separated or divorced.
Sources: GfK MRI Doublebase 2010, Arbitron Fall 2011
