Israel has the highest percentage (53%) of adults who use social networking sites, according to a survey of 21 countries conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project. The United States is a close second.
The survey found that at least 25% of adults use social networking sites in 15 of the 21 countries surveyed in the report.
In most countries, there has been only marginal change in social networking use since 2010. Two notable exceptions are Egypt and Russia – countries where the role of social media in recent political upheaval has been the subject of considerable attention. Both countries experienced a ten percentage point increase in usage over the past year, with Egypt jumping from 18% in 2010 to 28% in 2011 and Russia from 33% to 43%.
The percentage of adults who use social networking sites is determined in part by the prevalence of internet access and use, which is more broadly connected to a country’s wealth. The U.S., which has the highest per capita GDP of the countries surveyed, has one of the the highest percentage of adults who use social networking sites. Pakistan and India have two of the lowest per capita GDPs and the lowest levels of social networking use. Read More
