Some 15% of online adults in the US say they use Twitter, up from the 13% who said so a year earlier, according to a report by Pew Research.
Only 8% of online adults say they check their Twitter feeds on an average day; however, that proportion is twice the 4% who did so in May 2011.
Below, additional findings from the 2012 Twitter report, issued by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project and Project for Excellence in Journalism.
Smartphones and Twitter Use
Twitter use is highly correlated with the use of mobile technologies, particularly smartphones: 20% of smartphone owners are Twitter users, and 13% use the service on a typical day.
By contrast, Internet users who own feature mobile phones are roughly half as likely to use Twitter overall (9% do so), and only 3% of those feature phone owners are "typical day" users.
Overall, 9% of all cell owners use Twitter via their phones, with 5% doing so on a typical day. As with Twitter use overall, smartphone owners are much more likely than average Twitter users to use Twitter via their devices (overall 16% of smartphone owners use Twitter via their phones, and 10% do so on a typical day).
Similarly, as with Twitter findings overall, cell owners age 18-24 are more likely than older cell owners to use Twitter within the context of their mobile devices: 22% of those age 18-24 use Twitter via their phones, and 15% do so on a typical day.
Overall Twitter Demographics
Several demographic groups stand out as having high rates of Twitter use relative to their peers:
- African-Americans: 28% of online African-Americans (28%) use Twitter with 13% doing so on a typical day.
- Young adults: 26% of Internet users age 18-29 use Twitter, nearly double the rate for those ages 30-49. Among the youngest Internet users (those age 18-24), fully 31% are Twitter users.
- Urban and suburban residents: Residents of urban and suburban areas are significantly more likely to use Twitter than their rural counterparts.
About the data: Findings are from a national survey conducted via landline and cell phones, in English and Spanish among 2, 254 adults age 18+ from March 15 to April 3, 2012. The report was authored by Aaron Smith, Joanna Brenner, Pew Internet, issued on May 31, 2012 and accessed on June 2, 2012.
