Listeners at the younger-edge of radio’s money demos are more satisfied with their radio format choices than they were a decade ago. But even though those listeners are more likely to have a station targeted to them than a 12-to-24-year-old, they actually show less satisfaction with their format choices than their younger counterparts, according to a study by Edison Research, sponsored by Radio-Info.

Edison unveiled its “American Youth Studio 2010 – Part One: Radio’s Future” last week at the NAB/RAB Radio Show in Washington, D.C. The study, an update of an Edison 2000 study of 12-to-24-listening habits extended its demographic reach to 12-to-34-year-olds this time, in order to follow the 12-24s of a decade ago.

As was the case in 2000, respondents were asked for reasons that they did not listen more to radio, including, “You do not hear the music you like on AM/FM radio.” In 2000, 51% of 12-to-24-year-olds agreed with that statement. In 2010, that number dropped to 36%, well behind other issues as too many commercials, a preference to listen to one’s own music collection, and too much talk. That number would suggest that the proliferation of Top 40 stations in recent years is serving more young listeners’ needs—even as some young-end format competitors dwindle or morph to target older listeners.

By comparison, the bulk of 22-to-34-year-old listeners fall into radio’s 25-to-49 “money demos.” But despite the industry’s greater enthusiasm for targeting them, 40% of those listeners agree that they do not hear the music they like on the radio. And those findings have implications for every format that targets 25-plus listeners with contemporary music.

As also happens among 12-to-24s, more men than women are dissatisfied. Among 22-to-34-year-old men, 45% agree that they do not hear the music they like on radio vs. 40% of their 12-to-24-year-old counterparts. By comparison, 35% of 22-to-34-year-old women say they’re missing music, only slightly more than the 33% of 12-to-24-year-old women who agree with that statement.

Where are these dissatisfied 22-to-34-year-old listeners? We also broke the numbers down by the formats that respondents say they currently listen to most. And while rock listeners were the least satisfied, even more than a third of Top 40 listeners were dissatisfied as well. The listeners most dissatisfied with their current music choices were currently found on Classic Rock (where 45% agreed that they were not hearing the music they like); they were followed by Active Rock (43%), Alternative (40%), Hip-Hop/Rap (38%), Top 40 (36%), and R&B (31%). (Adult Top 40 was not measured separately.)

The Classic Rock figure would tend to confirm that a certain number of younger listeners have defaulted to a format that cuts off right about the time that they began to develop their attachments to current music. Then again, Modern Rock radio has superserved ’90s alternative music in recent years, and yet has been met with declining shares and high dissatisfaction among 22-to-34s.

The 36% dissatisfaction with musical choices among 22-to-34-year-old Top 40 P1s is higher than the 28% figure among 12-to-24s. That would suggest that while adults have become surprisingly sanguine about listening to the same music as their kids, they aren’t having all their musical needs met by Top 40.

Sean Ross is Executive Editor, music and programming for Radio-Info and VP/music and programming for Edison Research.