Demographic data is statistical data that is collected around the characteristics of the population, e.g. age and gender. This type of data is typically collected through sampling methods such as surveys and questionnaires. Demographic data is important for many fields, but especially marketers.
Recently, DataReportal’s new Digital 2022 July Global Statshot Report was published, in partnership with We Are Social and Hootsuite. This report demonstrates digital usage and activity around the world. Their entire report can be found here, but here is our snapshot of their social media data, and how you can use the different platforms to your advantage when it comes to demographic targeting.
Overall Social Media Usage
Based on the data provided, DataReportal announced that there are currently 4.70 Billion social media users. Interestingly, there are more people using social media (59%) in the total world population than not using it. When considering users over the age of 13, 75.5% of the population are using social media. Overall, social media users are 45.7% female and 54.3% male.
Roughly, quarter-on-quarter an extra 47 million (1.0%) people join social media, with an extra 227 million (5.1%) people joining social media every year. Social media users spend an average of 2 hours 29 minutes on social media every day and use an average of 7.4 platforms each month.
Below there is a breakdown of the demographic data for each social media platform based on its advertising audience.
For the youngest age group (18-24), more males (13.3%) were shown to use Facebook compared to females (9.3%). This trend of more males using Facebook compared to females continues through to ages 25-34, 35-44 and 45-54. For the older age groups (55-64 and 65+), the gender difference is very minimal.
Overall, consumers (specifically males) aged 25-34 are more likely to use Facebook and as age increases, Facebook usage decreases.
YouTube
Similar to Facebook, YouTube’s viewership seems to be most popular amongst younger males. However, the data is relatively evenly spread across the demographics. Males aged between 25-34 (11.8%) are more likely to watch YouTube, with it also being a popular platform for 18-24 (14.9%) and 35-44 (16.5%) year olds. The age group least likely to watch YouTube are 55–64-year-olds (8.6%), with both females and males in this group equally as likely to watch.
Instagram
Instagram’s data showed quite varied results across the age groups. 18–34-year-olds are most likely to use Instagram, with males in this age range showing the most interest. Consumers aged over 65 are least likely to be using Instagram, with just 2.3% of the platform’s users fitting in this age group. For the youngest of the age groups (13-17-year-olds), are certainly less likely to use Instagram compared to YouTube, but are more likely to use Instagram than Facebook.
TikTok
It is very apparent that the platform is more common with the younger generations, with 39.7% of TikTok’s users being aged 18-24. In contrast to Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, females of all age groups are more likely to use the app. Only 8% of TikTok users are aged 55+, with a very small gender difference for the older generations.
LinkedIn
The demographics of LinkedIn are very interesting. Those 55 and over (2.9%) are less likely to use the platform, whilst those 25-34 (58%) make up the majority of the users. There is such a significant difference between these age groups, which makes it very different from the other social media platforms. Males take a lead in all age groups, with the biggest gap being between males and females aged between 25-34.
Snapchat
Snapchat’s demographic data is quite similar to Instagram. It is not as popular with those aged 13-17 (20.5%) compared to 18-24 (39.1%). The gender difference within age groups is very minimal, if at all. Those aged over 50 (3.6%) are not likely to use the app and once people are over the age of 24, their interest in the platform tends to drop.
Pinterest
During this data collection, there was a ‘Not Applicable’ option and so this is demonstrated on the graph. This platform shows the biggest gender difference out of all the platforms. Females aged 25-34 take up an overwhelming 30.5% of Pinterest’s users. In all age groups, females take a majority lead. Those aged under 24 (20.8%) show a similar interest to those aged 35-44 (16%), with popularity decreasing with age. People over 65 take up just 3.9% of the platform’s users, again with a heavy female majority.
How to use the latest data insights
If your target audience is between 25-34 years old, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube could be the best platforms to use for your social media marketing. Evidently, more males use the three platforms compared to females and so if your marketing is targeted at males, they could all be great platforms to use.
Despite having a range of popularity amongst gender and age groups, YouTube is quite commonly used by all groups and so it seems like this would be a great platform for a more generalised demographic reach.
If you want to target your marketing towards younger people (those under 34) then TikTok would be extremely relevant for you. Furthermore, females aged 18-24 are the app’s biggest audience and so female-targeted products and services for Gen Z, TikTok will be your gold mine.
Snapchat certainly has limitations in terms of how to use it for social media marketing, but it is also very popular amongst 18–24-year-olds and so could be useful to consider if you would need to target a younger audience.
Finally, Pinterest is the most identifiable platform in terms of its demographics. Females aged between 25-34 are more likely to be using and engaging with the platform.
So, what data did you find most surprising and did any of the results shared today influence how you will conduct your marketing in the future?
To note: This report did not include demographic data for Twitter.
Tinisha Osu
Tinisha Osu is a Marketing Executive with two degrees in Psychology. She is the first-author of a published psychology paper and is beginning her career in marketing through blog-writing, creating social media content and running marketing campaigns.