• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 22, 2013

According to the PEW Research Center, as of May 2013, 72% of online U.S. adults use social networking sites, up from 67% in late 2012, and 8% in 2005. In asking about general usage of social networking sites in this survey, the study found that 18% of online adults are now Twitter users. This is roughly double the 8% of online adults who used Twitter in November 2010, the first time PEW asked about Twitter as a stand-alone platform.

Today, social networking site use is a major activity for internet users from a wide range of demographic groups. Younger adults are especially avid adopters, but social networking continues to grow in popularity for older adults as well. Six out of ten internet users ages 50-64 are social networking site users, as are 43% of those ages 65 and older.

Social Networking Site Users (% of Internet Users/Group)
User	% of Category
Men	70%
Women	74
Race/Ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic	70
Black, non-Hispanic	75
Hispanic	80
Age
18-29	89
30-49	78
50-64	60
65+	43
Education
No high school diploma	67
High school grad	72
Some college	73
Some college	73
College+	72
Annual HH income
<$30K / year	75
30-50K	72
50-75K	74
$75K +	71
Urbanity
Urban	74
Suburban	71
Rural	69
Source: PEW Research Center, May 2013

Although online seniors are less likely than other age groups to use social networking sites, adoption rates for those 65 and older have tripled in the last four years (from 13% in the spring of 2009 to 43% now).

Social Networking Site Use
Internet User Age	February 2005	August 2006	May 2013
All Users	8%		72%
18-28	9		89
30-49	7		78
50-64	6		60
65+		1%	43
Source: PEW Research Center, May 2013

The percentage of internet users who are on Twitter has more than doubled since November 2010, currently standing at 18%. Internet users ages 18-29 are the most likely to use Twitter.

Twitter Use By Age Group
Age Group	November 2010	May 2013
Total	8%	18%
18-29	14	30
30-49	7	17
50-64	6	13
65+	4	5
Source: PEW Research Center, May 2013

The results in this report are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates from April 17 to May 19, 2013. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. 

For more information from Pew Research, please visit here.