Weekly listeners to commercial radio stations in Australia have reached their highest level yet, a new survey has shown.

The GfK survey showed an 8 percent increase in weekly listeners compared to a year ago, to more than 12 million people across the five metro capitals.

Industry body CRA said the result was boosted by increased in-car listening and a surge in younger listeners. The growth in driving post lockdowns saw time spent listening to commercial radio in-car climb by 35 minutes to five hours and 21 minutes per week compared to a year ago.

At the same time audiences in the 18-24 age group increased by 9 percent or 113,000 people and those aged 25-39 jumped by 13 percent or 387,000.

“These are fantastic figures and show that radio remains fresh, stimulating and relevant, with strong audience growth across all age groups,” said CRA Chief executive Ford Ennals.

Overall 81 percent of Australians aged 10+ listened to commercial radio each week across the five metros during the survey period. Nearly 70 percent listened via AM and FM, 26 percent via DAB+ and 23 percent via streaming. Streaming listeners rose by 27 percent to a record high of 3.4 million.