Partisan differences in social media use show up for some platforms, but not Facebook

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they use social media overall (77% and 68%, respectively), according to a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021. There are also notable differences in the shares of Democrats and Republicans who use particular platforms. A majority of Americans on both sides of the political aisle say they use Facebook and YouTube. Roughly seven-in-ten Democrats (72%) and Republicans (69%) – including independents who lean toward each party – say they ever use Facebook. And 85% of Democrats report using YouTube, compared with a slightly smaller share of Republicans (79%). Still, for several other sites and apps measured in this survey, there are large gaps in use by political party. For example, about half of Democrats (49%) report using Instagram, 19 percentage points more than the share of Republicans who say the same (30%). Democrats are also about 10 points or more likely than Republicans to say they ever use Twitter, WhatsApp, LinkedIn or Reddit. To better understand Americans’ use of social media, online platforms and messaging apps, Pew Research Center surveyed 1,502 U.S. adults from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8, 2021, by cellphone and landline phone. The survey was conducted…
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