According to the results of a comprehensive social media survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted over several years to evaluate which demographics were using social media, and on which
platforms, Facebook holds the top ranking among adults:
Adult Media
Preferences |
Medium | % Adults Preferring |
Facebook | 67% |
LinkedIn | 20 |
Twitter | 16 |
Pinterest | 15 |
Instagram | 13 |
Tumblr | 6 |
Source: Pew Research Center |
Women use social media 9%
more than men do, at a 71% rate. Other frontrunners with the highest social network activity in their demographic include city dwellers (70%), Hispanics (72%) and adults with a household income below
$30,000 annually (72%)
The most pervasive and consistent divider among social media users remains their age. 83% of the young adult demographic (18-29 year olds) use social media, which is
well over double the activity of online adults over 65 years old.
Social Media
Users |
Group | % of Using Social Media |
Sex | |
Male | 62% |
Female | 71 |
Race | |
Hispanic | 72% |
African-American | 68 |
White | 65 |
Age | |
18-29 | 83% |
30-49 | 77 |
50-64 | 52 |
65+ | 32 |
HH Income | |
>$30K | 72% |
30-49K | 65 |
50-74K | 66 |
75K+ | 66 |
Education | |
High school or less | 68% |
Some college | 69 |
College degree | 65 |
Population Density | |
Urban | 70% |
Suburban | 67 |
Rural | 61 |
Source: Pew Research
Center |
Age and Social Media
- Stratification of age in social media use has remained the same wince 2005; there has consistently been higher
social networking usage among the youngest demographic (18-29), and less usage as age increases
- Although 18-29 year olds have maintained the highest percentage of social media usage, their
overall usage dropped for the first recorded time in December 2012 from 92% to 83%, their lowest recorded usage in over two years
- While every demographic dropped its social media usage in
December 2012, the only age demographic that increased its usage during that period was 30-49 year olds, increasing from 73 to 77%
Aside from division of age, there are still certain
social media sites that attract specific demographics much more heavily than others. You may be able to better targeting specific markets is enhanced with the demographic tendencies of each
platform.
Site Demographics |
Networking Site | Demographic Appeal |
Pinterest | Significantly more rural residents, women, Caucasians, people with some level of college education and individuals with a middle to higher income |
Facebook | There’s less demographic distinction on Facebook, since it’s already ubiquitous. However, there are 10% more women than men,
and heavily used by the youngest adult age group |
Instagram | Greater use among African-Americans and Hispanics, urban
users, 18-29 year olds, and women |
Twitter | Significantly more slanted towards the 18-29 demographic, African-Americans
and urban residents |
Source: Pew Research Center |
For additional information, please visit
the Pew Research Center here.