Before you decide your company’s target customer is a user of a specific social medium due to their gender or age, check out the Pew Research Center’s most recent annual survey of social media usage among Americans. It’s important you know who is using these services as a majority of Americans tell Pew and other researchers that they get news via social media.


Now in its tenth year, Pew’s research into social media usage among adults reveals that a majority of Americans are using social media in the context of work (whether to take a mental break on the job or to seek out employment). In its national survey of 1,520 adults conducted March 7-April 4, 2016, Pew Research found that Facebook continues to be America’s most popular social networking platform by a substantial margin.

Percentage of internet-using Americans who use popular social media

79% | Facebook
32% | Instagram
31% | Pinterest
29% | LinkedIn
24% | Twitter

Percentage of all American adults who use popular social media

68% | Facebook
28% | Instagram
26% | Pinterest
25% | LinkedIn
21% | Twitter

Trends in usage causing growth in social media usage | All about Facebook

Because of growing number of older adults who are joining the site, Facebook use appears to be on the rise: The share of online adults who report using Facebook has increased by 7 percentage points compared with a Pew Research Center survey conducted at a similar point in 2015.

76% | 2016 Percentage of Facebook users who check in daily
70% | 2015 Percentage of Facebook users who check in daily
55% | Percentage of Facebook users who report they visit the site several times a day

Young adults continue to report using Facebook at high rates, but older adults are joining in increasing numbers.

62% | 2016 Percentage of people online ages 65+
48% | 2015 Percentage of people online ages 65+

83% | Percentage of online females who use Facebook
75% | Percentage of online males who use Facebook

Instagram usage still skews younger

59% | Percentage of online adults ages 18-29 who use Instagram
33% | Percentage of online adults ages 30-49 who use Instagram
8% | Percentage of online adults ages 65+ who use Instagram

38% | Percentage of online female adults who use Instagram
26% | Percentage of online male adults who use Instagram

Growth in Twitter users virtually unchanged

24% | 2016 percentage of internet users who use Twitter
23% | 2017 percentage of internet users who use Twitter


 

Among those who only use one social media platform, 88% indicate that Facebook is the one site they use.

 


Twitter popular with younger, more educated adults

36% | Percentage of internet users ages 18-29 who use Twitter
10% | Percentage of internet users 65+ who use Twitter

29% | Percentage of Twitter users with college degrees or more
20% | Percentage of Twitter users with high school degrees or less


social-media-2016-1


social-media-2016-2

Thinkstock

Related Articles