Daytime is the right time for Canadian radio, according to a new study.

Conducted by Foundation Research Group on behalf of the Radio Marketing Bureau (RMB), the study found that daytime listening has jumped an estimated 40% over the last three years, and is now on par with drive-time listening.

The study attributes the growth in daytime listening to people spending more time in their cars and an increased ability to listen to the radio at work.

The fifth annual study, based on telephone interviews with 1,060 Canadians 18 and older, found that Canadians spend an average of two hours and 12 minutes a day listening to the radio, an amount nearly equivalent to that of the inaugural study conducted in 2006 (two hours, 13 minutes).

Radio's "versatility and transferability" has enabled it to withstand the pressures of emerging technologies, said RMB vice-president Peter Heron.

"Radio's been very consistent; we haven't taken a real hard hit because of the introduction of new technologies or the proliferation of the Internet," he said. "It's a brand that has adapted and transferred well to online."

Even though 53% of Canadians now own a portable listening device such as an iPod, 83% of survey respondents said the time they spend with radio has either increased or stayed the same as the previous year.

The study also found that 38% of adults listen to radio either some or most of the time while on the Internet, and that about one third of adults have listened to radio stations online. Of that amount, more than half (58%) say they stream local stations. The study also found that 39% of respondents have visited a radio website.

Heron predicted that radio will remain buoyant indefinitely.

"As long as the station brands are doing a good job of giving the audience what it wants, I can't see it being difficult to maintain that trend," he said. "[But] they have to continue to find new ways of entertaining, which is where the online aspect comes in."