Although the number of people listening to podcasts is on the up, the actual number of regular listeners is still only one per cent of web users, according to new research.

According to the latest Pew Internet & American Life project, some 12 per cent of US internet users say they have downloaded a podcast. This figure is up from the seven per cent of internet users who reported podcast downloading during the months February to April. However, few internet users are downloading podcasts with great frequency, with still just one per cent reporting downloading a podcast on a typical day.

The study found that men are more likely than women to download podcasts, with a total of 15 per cent of online men estimated to have downloaded a podcast, compared with just eight per cent of online women.

Those who have used the internet for six or more years are twice as likely to have downloaded a podcast, with figures reaching 13 per cent versus six per cent, the organisation said.

Meanwhile, the array of individuals and mainstream media institutions that now provide podcasts has also expanded dramatically. In November 2004, Podcast Alley, a podcast directory website, listed fewer than 1,000 podcasts for download. Today Podcast Alley catalogues more than 26,000 different podcasts.

According to the Pew Internet’s figures for February to April 2006, 20 per cent of US adults and 26 per cent of internet users own an iPod or MP3 player.