SOCIAL MEDIA TAKES OVER 1
How do different social networking
is hardly used for news at all.
websites stack up when it comes to
The proportions who get news, com-
news? How many people engage
bined with the total reach of a site,
with news across multiple social
show how many U.S. adults are learn-
sites? And what are their news
ing about events and issues through
consumption habits on traditional
each social networking site. Facebook
platforms? As part of an ongoing
is by far the largest social networking
examination of social media and
site among U.S. adults, and with half
news, the Pew Research Center in
of its users getting news there, is also
collaboration with the John S. and
the largest among U.S. adults when it
James L. Knight Foundation analyzed
comes to getting news. As discussed
the characteristics of news consum-
in an earlier report, roughly two-thirds
ers and the size of their population
(64%) of U.S. adults use the site, and
across 11 social networking sites.
half of those users get news there— amounting to 30% of the general pop-
2
News plays a varying role across
ulation. YouTube has the next greatest
the social networking sites. Roughly
reach in terms of general usage, at 51%
half of both Facebook and Twitter
of U.S. adults. Thus, even though only
users get news on those sites, earlier
a fifth of its users get news there, that
reports have shown. On YouTube,
amounts to 10% of the adult popula-
that is true of only one-fifth of its user
tion, which puts it on par with Twitter.
base, and for LinkedIn, the number
Twitter reaches just 16% of U.S. adults,
is even smaller. And Pinterest, a
but half (8% of U.S. adults) use it for
social pin board for visual content,
news. reddit is a news destination for
ALMOST 2/3 OF U.S. ADULTS USE FACEBOOK AND ABOUT HALF OF THOSE USERS GET NEWS ON THAT WEBSITE. 3
MORE THAN HALF OF ADULTS WHO GET NEWS ON TWITTER, GOOGLE PLUS, LINKEDIN AND YOUTUBE ALSO GET NEWS ON FACEBOOK. 4
nearly two-thirds of its users (62%).
A look at the demographic character-
But since just 3% of the U.S. popula-
istics of news consumers on the five
tion uses reddit, that translates to 2%
social networking sites shows that,
of the population that gets news there.
while there is some cross-over, each site appeals to a somewhat different
To what extent do the various news
group. LinkedIn news consumers
audiences on social media overlap?
stand out from other groups as more
A look at the five social networking
likely to be high earners and college
sites with the biggest news audi-
educated. Twitter news consumers
ences shows that a majority of news
are significantly younger than news
consumers on those sites (65%) get
consumers on Facebook, Google Plus
news from just one, and for 85%
and LinkedIn. And Facebook news
of those, it is Facebook. About a
consumers are significantly more likely
quarter (2s on two of those sites.
to be female than news consumers
And 9% get news on at least three.
on YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn.
For those who get news on multiple social networking sites, Facebook is
Social media news consumers still get
likely to be one of the ones they use.
news from a variety of other sources
More than half of adults who get news
and, in some cases, even more so than
on Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn and
the general public does. YouTube,
YouTube also get news on Facebook.
LinkedIn and Google Plus news con-
Aside from that, the shared audience
sumers are more likely than Facebook
between these sites is relatively small.
and Twitter news consumers to watch
5
cable news. Twitter news consumers
KnowledgePanel, its nationally rep-
are among the least likely to turn to
resentative online research panel.
local and cable TV. And nearly four-inten LinkedIn news consumers listen to
For questions asked of the full sample
news on the radio, compared to about
of 5,173, the margin of sampling
a quarter of the general population.
error is plus or minus 1.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence
News consumers on social network-
level. The following table describes
ing websites are more likely than the
the sample sizes for users and news
general public to use a mobile device
consumers on each social networking
for news, including roughly half of
website included in the study, as well
Twitter and LinkedIn news consumers.
as the margins of error for each.
This report is based on a Pew Research
News consumers for each social net-
Center survey conducted Aug. 21-Sept.
working website are defined as those
2, 2013, among a nationally represen-
who answered that they “ever get news
tative sample of adults 18 years of age
or news headlines on [name of web-
or older. The sample included 5,173
site].” News is defined as “information
respondents. The survey question-
about events and issues that involve
naire was written by the Pew Research
more than just your friends or family.”
Center and administered by GfK using
6
SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS CONSUMERS STILL GET NEWS FROM A VARIETY OF OTHER SOURCES AND, IN SOME CASES, EVEN MORE SO THAN THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOES. 7
pe w r e se a r ch.co m
By Jesse Holcomb, Jeffrey Gottfried And Amy Mitchell 8