Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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  1. Social Media Fact Sheet
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Social Media Fact Sheet

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  1. Social Media Fact Sheet
Fact Sheets: Tech Adoption Trends
Internet/BroadbandMobileSocial Media

Many Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves. Explore the patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape.

How we did this

To better understand which social media platforms Americans use, Pew Research Center surveyed 5,022 U.S. adults from Feb. 5 to June 18, 2025. SSRS conducted this National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for the Center using address-based sampling and a multimode protocol that included web, mail and phone. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race and ethnicity, education, and other categories.

Surveys fielded before 2023 were conducted via phone. For more on the mode shift in 2023, read our Q&A.

Here are the questions from this survey used for this report, the topline and the methodology.

Which social media platforms are most common?

YouTube and Facebook are the most widely used social media platforms in the United States. Half of U.S. adults say they use Instagram, and smaller shares use sites or apps such as TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat and X (formerly Twitter).

Which social media platforms are most popular
% of U.S. adults who say they ever use …
Chart
Note: The vertical line indicates a change in mode. Polls from 2012-2021 were conducted via phone. In 2023, the poll was conducted via web and mail. In 2024 and 2025, the poll was conducted via web, mail and phone. For more on the mode shift in 2023, read our Q&A. Refer to the topline for more information on how question wording varied over the years. Pre-2018 data is not available for YouTube, Snapchat or WhatsApp; pre-2019 data is not available for Reddit; pre-2021 data is not available for TikTok; pre-2023 data is not available for BeReal. Pre-2025 data is not available for Threads, BlueSky, or Truth Social. Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Surveys of U.S. adults conducted 2012-2025.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Which social media platforms are most popular
% of U.S. adults who say they ever use …
YearYouTubeFacebookInstagramPinterestTikTokLinkedInWhatsAppSnapchatX (formerly Twitter)RedditBeRealNextdoorThreadsBlueskyTruth Social
8/5/201254%9%10%16%13%
8/7/201214%
12/9/201211%13%13%
12/16/201257%
5/19/201315%
7/14/201316%
9/16/201357%14%17%17%14%
9/30/201316%
1/26/201416%
9/21/201458%21%22%23%19%
4/12/201562%24%26%22%20%
4/4/201668%28%26%25%21%
1/10/201873%68%35%29%25%22%27%24%
2/7/201973%69%37%28%27%20%24%22%11%
2/8/202181%69%40%31%21%28%23%25%23%18%13%
9/5/202383%68%47%35%33%30%29%27%22%22%3%
6/10/202485%70%50%36%33%32%30%27%21%24%3%
6/18/202584%71%50%37%32%25%21%26%8%4%3%
Download data as .csv
Note: The vertical line indicates a change in mode. Polls from 2012-2021 were conducted via phone. In 2023, the poll was conducted via web and mail. In 2024 and 2025, the poll was conducted via web, mail and phone. For more on the mode shift in 2023, read our Q&A. Refer to the topline for more information on how question wording varied over the years. Pre-2018 data is not available for YouTube, Snapchat or WhatsApp; pre-2019 data is not available for Reddit; pre-2021 data is not available for TikTok; pre-2023 data is not available for BeReal. Pre-2025 data is not available for Threads, BlueSky, or Truth Social. Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Surveys of U.S. adults conducted 2012-2025.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Who uses each social media platform?

Usage of the major social media platforms varies by factors such as age, gender and level of formal education.

% of U.S. adults who say they ever use __ by …

Tab Contents


AGE
GENDERRACE &
ETHNICITYHOUSEHOLD
INCOME
EDUCATION
COMMUNITYPARTY
ID

Find out more

This fact sheet was compiled by former Research Intern Suvi Lama. Research Associate Michelle Faverio, former Research Associate Wyatt Dawson, Research Analyst Olivia Sidoti, former Research Analyst Risa Gelles-Watnick, Research Assistant Eugenie Park, Digital Producer Sara Atske,  Associate Information Graphics Designer Kaitlyn Radde and Research Associate William Bishop also contributed.

Follow these links for more in-depth analysis of the impact of social media on American life.

Find more publications related to internet and technology and more benchmarks from our National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS).