Many Americans use social media to connect with each other, engage with news content, share information, and have fun. Explore the patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape.
To better understand Americans’ social media use, Pew Research Center surveyed 5,733 U.S. adults from May 19 to September 5, 2023. Ipsos conducted this National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for the Center using address-based sampling and a multimode protocol. Includes both web and email. In this way, nearly every American adult has the opportunity to choose. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, education, and other categories.
The polls from 2000 to 2021 were conducted by telephone. For more information about this mode transition, please see our Q&A.
Below are the questions, answers, and methodology used in this analysis.
A note on terminology: The May-September 2023 survey was already in place when Twitter changed its name to “X.”Terms and conditions twitter and X Both are used in this report to refer to the same platform.
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YouTube and Facebook are the most widely used online platforms. About half of U.S. adults use Instagram, and a smaller percentage say they use sites and apps like TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter(X), and BeReal.
Which social media platforms are the most popular
Percentage of U.S. adults who say they have ever used…
Year | YouTube | tick tock | snapchat | Twitter (X) | Bereal | next | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
August 5, 2012 | 54% | 9% | Ten% | 16% | 13% | |||||||
August 7, 2012 | 14% | |||||||||||
December 9, 2012 | 11% | 13% | 13% | |||||||||
2012/12/16 | 57% | |||||||||||
2013/5/19 | 15% | |||||||||||
2013/7/14 | 16% | |||||||||||
2013/9/16 | 57% | 14% | 17% | 17% | 14% | |||||||
2013/9/30 | 16% | |||||||||||
January 26, 2014 | 16% | |||||||||||
September 21, 2014 | 58% | twenty one% | twenty two% | twenty three% | 19% | |||||||
2015/12/4 | 62% | twenty four% | 26% | twenty two% | 20% | |||||||
April 4, 2016 | 68% | 28% | 26% | twenty five% | twenty one% | |||||||
January 10, 2018 | 73% | 68% | 35% | 29% | twenty five% | twenty two% | 27% | twenty four% | ||||
February 7, 2019 | 73% | 69% | 37% | 28% | 27% | 20% | twenty four% | twenty two% | 11% | |||
February 8, 2021 | 81% | 69% | 40% | 31% | twenty one% | 28% | twenty three% | twenty five% | twenty three% | 18% | 13% | |
September 5, 2023 | 83% | 68% | 47% | 35% | 33% | 30% | 29% | 27% | twenty two% | twenty two% | 3% |
Note: Vertical lines indicate mode changes. The polls from 2012 to 2021 were conducted by telephone. In 2023, the poll was conducted via the web and by mail. Check out our Q&A to learn more about this shift. See Topline for more information on how question wording has changed over the years. Data from 2018 and earlier is not available for YouTube, Snapchat, and WhatsApp. Data prior to 2019 is not available on Reddit. Data prior to 2021 is not available on TikTok. Data prior to 2023 is not available in BeReal. Respondents who did not respond will not be displayed.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted from 2012 to 2023.
Pew Research Center
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Usage of major online platforms varies by factors such as age, gender, and level of formal education.
% of US adults say they have used __…
18-29 years old | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65 years of age or older | |
---|---|---|---|---|
67 | 75 | 69 | 58 | |
78 | 59 | 35 | 15 | |
32 | 40 | 31 | 12 | |
Twitter (X) | 42 | 27 | 17 | 6 |
45 | 40 | 33 | twenty one | |
snapchat | 65 | 30 | 13 | Four |
YouTube | 93 | 92 | 83 | 60 |
32 | 38 | 29 | 16 | |
44 | 31 | 11 | 3 | |
tick tock | 62 | 39 | twenty four | Ten |
Bereal | 12 | 3 | 1 | <1 |
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-September. 5th, 2023.
male | woman | |
---|---|---|
59 | 76 | |
39 | 54 | |
31 | 29 | |
Twitter (X) | 26 | 19 |
19 | 50 | |
snapchat | twenty one | 32 |
YouTube | 82 | 83 |
27 | 31 | |
27 | 17 | |
tick tock | twenty five | 40 |
Bereal | 2 | Five |
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-September. 5th, 2023.
White | black | hispanic | Asian* | |
---|---|---|---|---|
69 | 64 | 66 | 67 | |
43 | 46 | 58 | 57 | |
30 | 29 | twenty three | 45 | |
Twitter (X) | 20 | twenty three | twenty five | 37 |
36 | 28 | 32 | 30 | |
snapchat | twenty five | twenty five | 35 | twenty five |
YouTube | 81 | 82 | 86 | 93 |
20 | 31 | 54 | 51 | |
twenty one | 14 | twenty three | 36 | |
tick tock | 28 | 39 | 49 | 29 |
Bereal | 3 | 1 | Four | 9 |
Note: White, Black, and Asian adults also include those who report being of a single race rather than being Hispanic. Hispanics come in all races. Respondents who did not respond will not be displayed.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-September. 5th, 2023.
Less than $30,000 | $30,000~$69,999 | $70,000~$99,999 | Over $100,000 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
63 | 70 | 74 | 68 | |
37 | 46 | 49 | 54 | |
13 | 19 | 34 | 53 | |
Twitter (X) | 18 | twenty one | 20 | 29 |
27 | 34 | 35 | 41 | |
snapchat | 27 | 30 | 26 | twenty five |
YouTube | 73 | 83 | 86 | 89 |
26 | 26 | 33 | 34 | |
12 | twenty three | twenty two | 30 | |
tick tock | 36 | 37 | 34 | 27 |
Bereal | 3 | 3 | 3 | Five |
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-September. 5th, 2023.
High school students and below | some university | University graduate or above | |
---|---|---|---|
63 | 71 | 70 | |
37 | 50 | 55 | |
Ten | 28 | 53 | |
Twitter (X) | 15 | twenty four | 29 |
26 | 42 | 38 | |
snapchat | 26 | 32 | twenty three |
YouTube | 74 | 85 | 89 |
twenty five | twenty three | 39 | |
14 | twenty three | 30 | |
tick tock | 35 | 38 | 26 |
Bereal | 3 | Four | Four |
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-September. 5th, 2023.
urban | suburbs | countryside | |
---|---|---|---|
66 | 68 | 70 | |
53 | 49 | 38 | |
31 | 36 | 18 | |
Twitter (X) | twenty five | 26 | 13 |
31 | 36 | 36 | |
snapchat | 29 | 26 | 27 |
YouTube | 85 | 85 | 77 |
38 | 30 | 20 | |
29 | twenty four | 14 | |
tick tock | 36 | 31 | 33 |
Bereal | Four | Four | 2 |
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-September. 5th, 2023.
Rep/Lean Rep | Democratic Party/Lean Democratic Party | |
---|---|---|
70 | 67 | |
43 | 53 | |
29 | 34 | |
Twitter (X) | 20 | 26 |
35 | 35 | |
snapchat | 27 | 28 |
YouTube | 82 | 84 |
twenty five | 33 | |
20 | twenty five | |
tick tock | 30 | 36 |
Bereal | Four | Four |
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 19-September. 5th, 2023.
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This fact sheet was created by Research Assistant Olivia Sidoti, Research Analyst Lisa Gelles Watnick, Research Analyst Michelle Faverio, Digital Producer Sarah Atzke, and Associate Information Graphics Designer. Edited with assistance from Caitlin Rade, Adjunct Researcher, and Eugenie Park.
For a more in-depth analysis of social media’s impact on American life, click on the link below.
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