1.
Twitter and Status Updating: Demographics, Mobile Access and News Consumption Amanda Lenhart Pew Internet Project AoIR 10.0 Milwaukee, WI October 8, 2009

2.
Methodology <ul><li>RDD tracking surveys of adults 18 and older </li></ul><ul><li>August 2009 </li></ul><ul><li>November 19-December 20, 2008 </li></ul><ul><li>November 20-December 4, 2008 </li></ul><ul><li>April 8 – May 11, 2008 </li></ul><ul><li>For results based on internet users margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points @ 95% confidence level. </li></ul><ul><li>Question wording changed from May to November. </li></ul><ul><ul><li>May 08 wording: “Do you ever use Twitter or other microblogging service to share updates about yourself or see updates about others?” </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Nov-Dec 08 wording: “Do you ever use Twitter or another service to share updates about yourself or to see the updates of others?” </li></ul></ul>October 2009

3.
What is Twitter? October 2009

4.
Twitter use <ul><li>19% of American internet users used Twitter* in August 2009 </li></ul><ul><li>11% of American internet users used Twitter or other service to share updates in April 2009 </li></ul><ul><li>11% of American Internet users used Twitter or other service to share updates in December 2008 </li></ul><ul><li>6% of American internet users used Twitter or other microblogging service to share updates in May 2008 </li></ul><ul><li>* Note: In this presentation, “Twitter” is a shorthand for “use Twitter or update a status online” </li></ul>October 2009

5.
Demographics of Twitter users (Dec 08) <ul><li>Younger adults </li></ul><ul><ul><li>19% of online adults 18-24 have ever used Twitter or updated a status online </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>20% of 25-34 year-olds </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>10% of 35-44 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>5% of 45-54 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>4% of 55-64 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>2% of 65+ </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Lower income (youth) </li></ul><ul><ul><li>17% of under $30,000 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>10% of $30-$74,999 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>10% of $75,000+ </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Racially/Ethnically diverse (9% of Whites, 15% of African-Americans, 16% Hispanics (English)) </li></ul><ul><li>More likely to be urban than average. </li></ul><ul><li>Equally likely to be male or female (11% twitter in each group) </li></ul>October 2009

6.
Demographics of Twitter users (Aug 09) <ul><li>Skewing younger </li></ul><ul><ul><li>37% of 18-24 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>31% of 25-34 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>19% of 35-44 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>10% of 45-54 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>10% of 55-64 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>4% of 65+ </li></ul></ul><ul><li>No income differences </li></ul><ul><li>Still racially and ethnically diverse – 19% of whites, 26% of African-Americans, 18% Hispanics </li></ul><ul><li>Rural lagging – 20% urban, 16% suburban, 10% rural. </li></ul><ul><li>Starting to skew female? 17% of online men twitter, 21% of online women </li></ul>October 2009

7.
Twitter users use more mobile & social media <ul><li>Wireless internet users more likely to use Twitter (14% vs. 6%) </li></ul><ul><li>SNS users – 23% have used Twitter vs. 4% of non-SNS users </li></ul><ul><li>Bloggers – 27% of bloggers Twitter vs. 10% of non-bloggers </li></ul><ul><li>Twitter users more likely to go online via their cell phone (40% vs. 24% of others) </li></ul><ul><li>Data from Dec 2008 </li></ul>October 2009

8.
October 2009

9.
Twitter & health (Dec 2008) <ul><li>Twitter users more likely to look for health information online </li></ul><ul><li>More likely to be affected/caring for someone with a chronic condition than to have one themselves </li></ul>October 2009

10.
Last slide <ul><li>Twitter users are generally intense and savvy users of online resources </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Media & News </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Information Resources (like Health Information) </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Communication </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Mobile </li></ul><ul><li>Younger Adults (and thus racially diverse as are American youth generally)… </li></ul><ul><li>… but not teens </li></ul>October 2009

11.
Thanks! Amanda Lenhart Pew Internet & American Life Project http://www.pewinternet.org [email_address] @amanda_lenhart