• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, June 29, 2012

Women are more likely than men to follow brands on social media, at least if they have kids, according to a survey of 1,453 U.S. online adults conducted by Burst Media in May 2012: overall 58.1% of online moms follow brands online, Burst found, compared to 49.1% of all respondents. And 31.7% of online moms said they were likely to follow a brand promoted in an online ad, compared to 25.4% of all respondents.

These findings may partly reflect the fact that women (and moms in particular) are heavier users of social media overall: 49% of female respondents said they visit social media sites a few times per day or more, including 58.6% of moms and 42.7% of women without children, compared with just 34% of men.

Returning to the brands issue, unsurprisingly younger adults are also more likely to “like” favorite labels and retailers on social media, with 58.1% of men and women ages 18-34 saying taking part, compared to 49.1% of all respondents.

Asked their reasons for following brands on social media, 43.5% of moms said they do so to “keep up with the latest content,” compared to 44.4% of women without kids and 30.7% of men; 23% of moms said they do so to “see what others are saying about the content,” compared to 25.4% of women without kids and 21.7% of men; 29.3% of moms said they do so to interact with the sites’ authors and contributors, compared to 16.5% of women without kids and 19.2% of men; 41.9% of moms said they do so to “share content with family and friends,” compared to 40.9% of women without kids and 26.3% of men; and 33.3% of moms said they do so to “share my opinions and comment,” compared to 26.7% of women without kids and 29% of men.

Interestingly, women who are not moms are more likely to cite special offers, coupons, and savings as a reason to follow brands on social media, at 46.7%, compared to 40.1% of moms and 19.4% of men.