Pew Research Center: 72% of Americans Use Social Media, Consistent Over Past 5 Years

A recent survey by Pew Research Center found that 72% of the 1,502 U.S. adults who participated via telephone said they ever use any social media site, with that level remaining fairly consistent over the past five years. Pew said YouTube and Facebook continued to dominate, with 81% and 69% of respondents, respectively, saying they use those platforms. The only social networks to post significant growth when compared with 2019 were YouTube (up from 73%) and Reddit (to 18% from 11%). Instagram was next, at 40%, followed by Pinterest and LinkedIn (roughly three out of 10). About one-quarter of respondents use Snapchat, Twitter or WhatsApp, while 21% use TikTok and 13% use Nextdoor. Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok showed strong usage among respondents aged 18 through 29, at 71%, 65% and 48%, respectively. Pew said that usage percentages for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter and WhatsApp were statistically unchanged versus 2019. As for daily usage, Pew found that seven out of 10 Facebook users visit the platform daily, with 49% saying they do so several times per day. Its Instagram photo- and video-sharing network posted figures of 59% for both criteria. Younger users were faithful to their favorite platforms, as 71% of Snapchatters 18 through 29 use the application daily, with six out of ten doing so multiple times, and similar results for Instagram (73% and 53%, respectively). Pew said 54% of YouTube users visit the Google-owned video site daily, and 36% do so several times per day, while only 46% of Twitter users said they visited the platform every day. The age gaps between younger and older respondents regarding Facebook usage were narrower than for any other social platform, with 70% of those 18 through 29 saying they use the social network, joined by 77% of those 30 through 49, 73% of those 50 through 64 and one-half of those 65 and older. Pew found that 46% of women use Pinterest, compared with just 16% of men. Adults living in urban (17%) or suburban (14%) areas were far more likely to say they used Nextdoor than those in rural areas (2%). Pew also pointed out some differences by race and ethnicity in usage of specific platforms: Hispanics (46%) were far more likely to say they use WhatsApp than Blacks (23%) or whites (16%).52% of Hispanics and 49% of Blacks use Instagram, versus just 35% of whites.51% of respondents with a bachelor’s or advanced degree use LinkedIn, compared with 28% of those with some college experience and just 10% of those with a high school diploma or less. Pew wrote in the introduction to its report, “Despite a string of controversies and the public’s relatively negative sentiments about aspects of social media, roughly seven in 10 Americans say they ever use any kind of social media site—a share that has remained relatively stable over the past five years.”

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Pew Research Center: 72% of Americans Use Social Media, Consistent Over Past 5 Years

Facebook and YouTube dominated at 81% and 69%, respectively

David Cohen

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