Americans Get News on Social Media: Study Findings

Shifting News Consumption: Social Media's Role in U.S. Adult Habits

A recent Pew Research Center report indicates that approximately one-third of adults in the United States continue to regularly obtain their news from Facebook. However, this figure represents a decrease from 36% in 2020 to 31% in 2021.

This decline aligns with a broader trend of fewer Americans relying on social media platforms for news overall. The percentage of individuals who report getting news from any social media site fell by 5 percentage points year-over-year, dropping from 53% in 2020 to just under 48% in 2021, according to the study.

Increased Scrutiny and Misinformation Concerns

The observed changes coincide with heightened scrutiny of technology companies regarding the dissemination of misinformation on their platforms. Criticism has intensified, particularly during the pandemic, contributing to vaccine hesitancy and negatively impacting public health outcomes for those exposed to misleading information.

Despite these challenges, the proportion of Americans who regularly access news through various social media sites has remained relatively stable over the past year. This demonstrates the ingrained role these platforms play in people’s daily news routines.

Platform-Specific Trends

Beyond Facebook, 22% of U.S. adults regularly get news from YouTube. Twitter and Instagram serve as regular news sources for 13% and 11% of Americans, respectively.

Pew Research notes that many of these platforms have experienced slight declines in their usage as regular news sources among their own user bases. This metric differs from the overall percentage of U.S. adults using the sites for news, and reflects evolving perceptions among platform users.

Currently, 55% of Twitter users regularly consume news on the platform, a decrease from 59% the previous year. Reddit’s news consumption dropped from 42% to 39% in 2021. YouTube saw a decline from 32% to 30%, and Snapchat from 19% to 16%. Instagram’s usage remained relatively consistent, at 28% in 2020 and 27% in 2021.

TikTok as an Emerging News Source

Notably, TikTok is the only social media platform that experienced growth as a news source during this period.

In 2021, 29% of TikTok users reported regularly obtaining news from the platform, an increase from 22% in 2020.

However, most of these sites have limited reach among the broader U.S. adult population. Fewer than one in ten Americans regularly get their news from Reddit (7%), TikTok (6%), LinkedIn (4%), Snapchat (4%), WhatsApp (3%), or Twitch (1%).

Demographic Variations in News Consumption

There are discernible demographic differences in platform preferences.

White adults are more likely to turn to Facebook and Reddit for news (60% and 54%, respectively). Black and Hispanic adults represent significant portions of Instagram’s regular news consumers (20% and 33%, respectively). Younger adults favor Snapchat and TikTok, while LinkedIn’s audience is predominantly comprised of individuals with four-year college degrees.

Methodological Considerations and Potential Biases

Pew’s survey, conducted between July 26 and August 8, 2021, relies on self-reported data. This means responses are based on users’ perceptions of their own news-gathering habits. Such data can differ from objective measurements of site visits for news consumption.

It’s also important to consider that individuals may not fully grasp the implications of consuming news on social media, where sensationalized headlines and posts are often used to maximize engagement. This can lead to strong reactions, but not necessarily informed ones. Previous Pew studies have shown that social media news consumers tend to have less factual knowledge on key issues, and are more exposed to unsubstantiated claims.

The study’s full sample size was 11,178 respondents, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.