The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project just released The State of Social Media Users based on the results from a late 2012 survey they conducted. The report breaks down who is on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram via key demographics such as age, gender, race, income, education and population density.
New Pew Research Center data on social media users.
Not surprisingly, Facebook has the biggest percentage of Internet users with a whopping 67% compared to Twitter in second place with just 16% of adult Internet users having a Twitter account. (“Internet users” meaning those who could access the Internet either via desktop or mobile device.) Also not surprisingly, the majority of Internet users on these social networks are 18-29 years old and are more often women than men.
However, those of you with older donors shouldn’t dismiss social media, especially Facebook and Pinterest. The report found that of Internet users aged 50-64, 57% of them are on Facebook, along with 35% of those who are 65 and older. Also, the vast majority of Internet users on Pinterest are over 30. And to uphold every stereotype you have heard about Pinterest users, only 5% of male Internet users are on the site with the majority being women in suburban and rural areas.
Charts breaking down demographics by social network.
Read or download the full report from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.
Just a few things to think about: This survey only represents the United States. Also, this report does not indicate how active these users are on each network. Some social networks have odd ways of defining what it means to be “active.” For example, Facebook considers you active if you leave a comment on a blog that requires a Facebook account to log in regardless of the last time you visited Facebook.com itself. Google+ has also come under fire for including anyone who sends an email through Gmail as being an active Google+ user even if you don’t ever check out your Google+ newsfeed or profile.
Did anything surprise you about this study? Comment below.
