The Culture Index

The
Culture Culture Culture Culture
Index

Where does your audience fall on the Culture Index?

Where does your audience fall on The Culture Index?

About

The Culture Index is the result of cultural strategists, data scientists, researchers, writers, and designers working in concert to decode not just what people listen to—but why they listen, when they listen, and what it reveals about the world they're navigating.

First, we combed through SiriusXM Media internal metrics, identifying what's rising, what's resonating, and where momentum is building in real time.

We then surveyed a sample of 835 monthly digital audio listeners ages 18-49 to understand the motivations behind the behavior. The research explored interests, sentiments, and cultural perceptions, with indexed insights across six key audiences: Hispanic, Black, white, Gen Z, men, and women.

Finally, our cultural experts indexed all of these data points together for you, the advertiser. The result: a living, breathing view of culture, seen through the lens of audio.

About

SiriusXM Media brings advertisers closer to the stories and music that listeners love, creating deep connections between fans and brands. The gateway for marketers to the largest digital audio advertising ecosystem in North America, SiriusXM Media reaches 255 million monthly listeners across SiriusXM, Pandora, and extensive Streaming and Podcast Networks. As the longtime leaders in audio advertising, only SiriusXM Media delivers audiences tailored brand experiences courtesy of sonic creative agency Studio Resonate, while making it easy for every marketer to produce, plan, buy, and measure across its entire audio universe, with innovative ad tech solutions powered by AdsWizz. For more information, please go to: siriusxmmedia.com.

Team

Cultural Architects

  • Nidia Serrano
  • Briana Mendez
  • Kristia Watkins Melendez
  • Briana Mendez

Trendspotters

  • Sophie Anderson
  • Alexandria Caggia
  • Loryn Williams
  • Lauren Godwin
  • Chandler Kinsey

Signal Finders

  • Melissa Paris
  • Jordan Evangelista
  • Courtney Hazzard
  • MaryKate Breslin

Behavioral Decoders

  • Mark Khamsakul
  • Jade Green
  • Frank Shao
  • Nicole Fotiadis

Narrative Shapers

  • Jocelyn Hudak
  • Kendel Goonis
  • Rachel Louise Sa-onoy Huber

Visual Storytellers

  • Jeff Zemetis
  • Gina Moyer
Sources
Trend 1: Feelcore

Editorial

  • "78% turn to content…": Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49
  • "+93% increase in A18+ downloads YoY": Internal Pandora Metrics Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024
  • "+8% increase from MC 18-24 in rushcore music stations adds YoY": Internal Pandora Metrics Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024
  • "+90% in F18-24 mystery podcast downloads YoY": Internal Pandora Metrics Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024
  • "Uploads tagged "#emo" up close to 20% on SoundCloud": Internal SoundCloud metrics 2025

Quotes

All quotes from Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49

Spectrum

  • "73% of listeners seek out…" Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49
  • "52% of listeners use…" Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49

All show references pulled from internal metrics

Index

All indices sourced from Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49 based on a sample size of 835

Trend 2: Brocoding

Editorial

  • "54% of male listeners say…": Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49
  • "+72% from M18-24 YoY": Internal Pandora Metrics Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024
  • "+53% from M18-24 YoY": Internal Pandora Metrics Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024

Quotes

All quotes from Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49

Spectrum

  • "50% "Gender roles are…": Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49
  • "61% "Society's view of my…" Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49

All show references pulled from internal metrics

Index

All indices sourced from Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49 based on a sample size of 835

Trend 3: Homedrift

Editorial

  • "68% enjoy discovering music…": Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49
  • "+36% increase in AA Pandora spins YoY": Internal Pandora Metrics Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024
  • "+3% increase in A18+ Pandora spins YoY": Internal Pandora Metrics Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024
  • "33% increase in listening time…": Internal SoundCloud metrics
  • "81% increase in plays of Mexican Reggaeton…": Internal SoundCloud metrics
  • "276% increase in streams…": Internal SoundCloud metrics

Quotes

All quotes from Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49

Spectrum

  • "53% say they're drawn to artists…": Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49
  • "71% say they explore content…": Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49

All show references pulled from internal metrics

Index

All indices sourced from Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49 based on a sample size of 835

Trend 4: Soulsyncing

Editorial

  • "73% seek experiences…": Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49
  • "+455% growth in downloads…": Internal Pandora Metrics Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024
  • "+15% increase in total listeners…": Internal Pandora Metrics Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024
  • "2.1x more likely to like…": Internal SoundCloud metrics
  • "2.7x more likely to comment…": Internal SoundCloud metrics
  • "3.5x more likely to repost…": Internal SoundCloud metrics
  • "5.5x more likely to share…": Internal SoundCloud metrics

Quotes

All quotes from Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49

Spectrum

  • "65% say they turn to mindfulness…": Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49
  • "40% say they feel more…": Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49

All show references pulled from internal metrics

Index

All indices sourced from Culture Trends DISQO Study 2026, A18-49 based on a sample size of 835