••• social media research
6 Facebook facts
A decade in, usage keeps evolving
Facebook turned 10 earlier this year and maintains its position as the dominant social networking platform, used by 57 percent of all American adults and 73 percent of all those ages 12-17, according to data from the Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. Adult Facebook use is intensifying: 64 percent of Facebook users visit the site on a daily basis, up from 51 percent who were daily users in 2010. Among teens, the total number of users remains high and they are not abandoning the site, despite Twitter’s increased popularity. But focus group interviews suggest that teens’ relationship with Facebook is complicated and may be evolving.
New Pew Research Center survey findings show how people are using Facebook and what they like and dislike about the site. Here are six highlights.
1. Some users dislike certain aspects of Facebook but fear of missing out (FOMO) on social activities isn’t one of them.
One aspect many detest is oversharing by friends and people who post another's personal information (such as photos) without first asking permission. Parents are especially protective of images of their children, as 57 percent of Facebook users with children under the age of 18 say that people posting pictures of their children without asking permission first is something they strongly dislike about using Facebook.
On the other hand, the FOMO phenomenon resonates with only a small portion of the Facebook population. Just 5 percent of Facebook users strongly dislike the fact that Facebook allows them to see others taking part in social activities that they themselves were not included in and 84 percent of users say that this aspect of Facebook life doesn’t bother them at all.
2. Women and men often have varying reasons for why they use Facebook but everything starts with sharing and laughs.
Users say they especially appreciate photos and videos from friends (47 percent say that’s a major reason they use the site); the ability to share with many people at once (46 percent cite that as a major reason); updates from others (39 percent); and humorous content (39 percent). Other aspects of Facebook (e.g., keeping up with news, receiving support from the people in one’s network, etc.) appeal to a more modest audience of users. Men and women sometimes vary in their reasons for using the site.
3. Half of all adult Facebook users have more than 200 friends in their network.
Facebook users differ greatly when it comes to the number of friends in their networks. Nearly 40 percent of adult Facebook users have between one and 100 Facebook friends; 23 percent have 101-250 friends; 20 percent have 251-500 friends; and 15 percent have more than 500 friends.
Among adult Facebook users, the average number of friends is 338 and the median number of friends is 200. Younger users tend to have significantly larger friend networks than older users: 27 percent of 18-to-29-year-old users have more than 500 friends, while 72 percent of users ages 65+ have 100 friends or fewer.
4. Twelve percent of Facebook users say that someone has asked them to unfriend a person in their network.
Younger users are more likely to have experienced this than older users, as 19 percent of 18-to-29-year-old Facebook users have had someone ask them to remove a friend from their network (compared with 10 percent of 30-to-49-year-olds; 7 percent of 50-to-64-year-olds; and 5 percent of those 65+).
These friend-removal requests tend to come primarily from other friends (35 percent) or from current (23 percent) or former (12 percent) spouses or romantic partners. Some 38 percent of those who received this type of request say that they were asked to remove a friend from their Facebook network, while 22 percent were asked to unfriend a former romantic partner.
5. Facebook users Like their friends’ content and comment on photos relatively frequently but most don’t change their own status that often.
When asked about the frequency with which they engage in certain behaviors on the site, Facebook users tend to point toward Liking content that others have posted and commenting on photos as the activities they engage in most often. On the other hand, most users change or update their own status only occasionally.
Forty-four percent of Facebook users Like content posted by their friends at least once a day, with 29 percent doing so several times per day. Over 30 percent comment on other people’s photos on a daily basis, with 15 percent doing so several times per day. Almost 20 percent send private Facebook messages to their friends on a daily basis, with 10 percent sending these messages multiple times per day, and 10 percent change or update their own status on Facebook on a daily basis, with 4 percent updating their status several times per day. Some 25 percent of Facebook users say that they never change or update their own Facebook status.
6. Half of Internet users who do not use Facebook themselves live with someone who does.
Many non-Facebook users still have some familiarity with the site through family members. Among Internet users who do not use Facebook themselves, 52 percent say that someone else in their household has a Facebook account. In many instances, these may be parents who do not use Facebook but live with a child who does. Two-thirds of parents with a child living at home who do not use Facebook themselves say that someone in their household has a Facebook account. In addition, some 24 percent of Facebook non-adopters who live with an account holder say that they look at photos or posts on that person’s account.
www.pewresearch.org
••• public opinion
Degrees of discrimination
How perception of discrimination among minority groups varies
Some would argue that the U.S. has come a long way in tackling discrimination and that the U.S. is far more progressive and equality-minded than either its historical self or many countries today. However, a poll from Rochester, N.Y., research company Harris Interactive indicates that Americans still believe many groups are discriminated against. When Americans are presented with several groups – blacks; Hispanics; people of Middle Eastern descent; women; and LGBT adults – and asked if those groups are discriminated against in each of a series of aspects of American life, majorities feel discrimination exists for most of these groups in at least one area.
So, who is most discriminated against? The easy answer to this deceptively complex question is “everyone.” Each of the five groups tested were among those most likely to be seen as discriminated against in at least one aspect of American life.
Blacks are most perceived as discriminated against in the way they are treated by police (59 percent); getting decent housing (34 percent); and getting a quality education in public schools (26 percent).
Hispanics, meanwhile, are among those most perceived as discriminated against in getting both white-collar office jobs (39 percent) and skilled labor jobs (29 percent).
Turning to those of Middle Eastern descent, this group is among those most commonly perceived as discriminated against in the way they are treated by the federal government (34 percent), a perceptual distinction they share with LGBT Americans (35 percent).
By a considerable margin, women are the group most perceived as discriminated against in the wages they are paid (60 percent). They also rank second only to LGBT adults as the group most perceived as discriminated against in getting full equality (52 percent).
LGBT Americans are most perceived as discriminated against in the way they are treated as human beings (62 percent) and in getting full equality (57 percent), along with ranking just ahead of people of Middle Eastern descent for the perception that they are discriminated against in the way they are treated by the federal government (35 percent).
Perhaps not surprisingly, when results are examined specifically among the group in question, perceived discrimination outpaces perceptions among the general population nearly across the board. A vast majority of black Americans (85 percent) feel that blacks are discriminated against in the way they are treated by police, while 78 percent feel they are discriminated against in getting full equality. Roughly seven in 10 say the same for the way they are treated as human beings (71 percent) and in getting white-collar office jobs (70 percent). About six in 10 say they are discriminated against for the wages they are paid (63 percent), getting decent housing (62 percent), getting skilled labor jobs (61 percent) and the way they are treated by the federal government (60 percent).
Roughly eight in 10 LGBT adults feel that LGBT Americans are discriminated against in getting full equality. Nearly three-fourths feel they are discriminated against in the way they are treated as human beings (73 percent) and roughly two-thirds feel they are discriminated against in the way they are treated by both police (67 percent) and the federal government (65 percent).
Seven in 10 American women feel that women are discriminated against in the wages they are paid (70 percent) and 62 percent feel that women are discriminated against in getting full equality (62 percent).
Over six in 10 Hispanic Americans feel that Hispanics are discriminated against in the way they are treated by police (62 percent) and just over half feel they are discriminated against in getting full equality (52 percent) and in the wages they are paid (51 percent).
Those of Middle Eastern descent represent too small a sample to be accurately represented in an examination of their own views on discrimination.
www.harrisinteractive.com
••• data privacy
Quid pro quo
Consumers would share personal data in exchange for perks
With the wealth of personal data available online today, marketers are forced to walk a fine line between helpful and intrusive personalized marketing tactics. Yes, consumers are protective of their privacy but the good news is that many are willing to give a little to get a little. According to a study from Boston research company Communispace, 70 percent of respondents said they would voluntarily share personal data with a company in exchange for a mere 5 percent discount.
However, proving that the proverbial tightrope still exists, 86 percent of consumers would click a “do not track” button if it were available and 30 percent of consumers would pay a 5 percent surcharge if they could be guaranteed that none of their information would be captured.
Overall, the study found that consumers tend to be distrustful of targeted marketing, which while often accurate, can offend by appearing overly familiar with personal aspects of their lives. Only 14 percent of consumers, if given the choice, want to shop by receiving targeted offers based on their online search and purchase history. Sixty-two percent of consumers would prefer to find promotions and discounts from multiple vendors at one centralized site, while 24 percent would like the opportunity to broadcast their shopping needs to invite retailers to bid for their business.
Some attitudes toward data privacy seem to be age-driven. Consumer likelihood to disclose personal data in exchange for deals, for example, decreases with age. Sixty-two percent of the Silent Generation would choose to share nothing rather than get perks, while only 40 percent of Millennials say this. However, when presented with various personalized marketing scenarios, consumers showed similar levels of acceptance across age groups.
The single biggest breach of trust involves the buying and selling of personal data, as only 13 percent approve of this practice. Even if they have technically granted their consent, consumers express extreme distaste for, and occasionally claim to boycott, companies that engage in these types of practices.
www.communispace.com
••• restaurants
Cutbacks cut deep
Nearly three in 10 Americans plan to spend less on dining out
It’s been one step forward and two steps back when it comes to news on the economy in 2014. National jobs data for first-quarter 2014 was somewhat bleak, while early-2014 saw a heated debate in Washington over raising the minimum wage. Unfortunately for the restaurant industry, it has more to worry about than most, as 29 percent of Americans say they intend to spend less on dining-out in the year ahead – the highest percentage of cutbacks among 14 diverse categories asked about in a study conducted by AlixPartners, a Detroit business advisory firm. The study also addressed spending on entertainment, leisure activities, sports equipment, travel, clothing and home furnishings.
In addition to dining out less overall, diners expect to spend 9.1 percent less per restaurant meal in the year ahead (vs. what they say they spent per meal in the past year, to $13.55 from $14.91), a slide backward from a similar AlixPartners survey in 2013 when diners then said they expected to spend only 5 percent less in the year ahead.
Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans in the survey dining out at least weekly over the last 12 months dropped from 60 to 57 percent from the survey of a year ago. The top reason given for cutting back on visits was – for the second year in a row – the desire to eat healthier, even beating out “current finances” as a reason. In a similar vein, 84 percent said that healthy menu options are at least somewhat important to them in choosing where to dine out, virtually even with survey results from a year ago (86 percent).
However, only 20 percent said such options were very or extremely important, down from 29 percent in the survey of a year ago, and a whopping 52 percent said that nutritional information provided on menus has no impact on their ordering decisions, up from 45 percent in the survey a year ago. Only 16 percent said they’d be willing to pay a premium for certified-organic food at restaurants, all pointing to a possible disconnect today between what consumers say they want and what they’re actually willing to order and to pay for.
www.alixpartners.com