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Social: GWI's Flagship Report On The Latest Trends in Social Media
Social: GWI's Flagship Report On The Latest Trends in Social Media
07 Key insights
In this
21 The top performing platforms the online populations of each market, not quarter; GWI Work is conducted in 17 coun-
Which apps are becoming more popular? its total population. Note that in many mar- tries, and interviews over 28,000 business
What keeps their users coming back? kets in Latin America, the Middle-East and professionals aged 16-64; and GWI Custom
report
Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region, low inter- is a recontact study that we carry out in the
29 The main differences net penetration rates can mean that online U.S. and UK only.
between markets populations are more young, urban, affluent,
What trends are taking hold in China, and will and educated than the total population. Throughout this piece of work, we refer to
they move West? What can other markets teach indexes. Indexes are used to compare any
us about the future of social media? Each year, GWI interviews over 700,000 given group against the average (1.00),
GWI’s Social flagship provides internet users aged 16-64 via an online which unless otherwise stated refers to the
the most important insights on 37 Keeping tabs on behavioral trends questionnaire for our Core dataset. A pro- global average. For example, an index of
the world of social media, from Which audiences prefer short-form content portion of respondents complete a shorter “1.20” means that a given group is 20%
keynotes on how attitudes are over longer videos? How are Stories and AR version of this survey via mobile; hence the above the global average, and an index
changing, to the very latest fig- tools evolving? sample sizes presented in the charts may of “0.80” means that an audience is 20%
ures for platform engagement. differ as some will include all respondents, below the global average.
It offers an update on long-stand- 53 Speaking of social commerce and others will include only respondents
ing trends, but also highlights Are influencers going out of fashion? Is social who completed GWI’s Core survey via China is excluded from most global charts
any noteworthy changes over commerce taking off? PC/laptop/tablet. that track specific platforms. This is due
the past year. to the unique nature of the Chinese social
65 More from GWI When reading this report, please note that media industry, which maintains its own
we focus on data from our ongoing global ecosystem of homegrown platforms, and
67 Appendix quarterly research, but also draw on other has official restrictions on many global
Click the dots research: GWI Zeitgeist, GWI USA, GWI social services. We have a section dedicated
to navigate 69 Notes on methodology Work, and GWI Custom. GWI Zeitgeist is a to this market on page 30.
4
Each of the
data on our
More information can
be found in the Appendix
section at the end of
platform
this report
Source Information
about the source
Base and base
6
Key
insights Short-form
video is most
TikTok popular, but
continues long-form Social
Social its impressive lands well buying has
Western
media growth with Gen Z made a lot
social media
engagement of headway
is following
has and is set
in China’s
plateaued to spread
footsteps
globally
Outside China, 61% of social media
Q2 2020 boasts the highest figures on Since 2020, the number of consum- users say they view or create a story Despite security worries, engagement
record for global social media usage ers using TikTok monthly has grown Social media typically fulfils a wider on Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook with Facebook Marketplace and
as widespread lockdowns forced con- by 32%. Despite its youthful reputa- brief in fast-growth markets like China at least monthly, and there’s been a Instagram Shopping has gone up by
sumers to find ways to fill their free tion, engagement has grown the most than in the West. However, our data rise in engagement with Reels. It’s not 8% since 2020. Brands can drive pro-
time. Engagement has fluctuated a among Gen X and baby boomers. Its suggests change is coming. Compared all about bitesize content though – gress by inspiring UGC – which will
little since, but ultimately leveled off. popularity doesn’t show any signs of to 2020, people in North America are Gen Z are just as likely to be watching raise awareness – and help prevent
MEA bucks this overall trend, with its slowing and older consumers have a more likely to log onto platforms with 20+ minute videos as they are <4 cart abandonment by taking feedback
consumers still making leaps in usage. hand in this trend. commercial activities in mind. minute ones. on board.
8
01
Time spent Since 2020,
on social there’s been a
12% rise in people
media saying they use
social media less
than they used to
Since Q2 2021, time spent on social media has making steady strides forward, increasing by
increased in 32 of the 47 countries we track, with almost 40 minutes. The numbers then started
consumers in MEA upping their usage by around to plateau in 2019, only to be interrupted by the
20 minutes in the space of a few months. This pandemic. Q2 2020, when around half the world’s
sounds promising, but after taking a step back, population was under some form of lockdown, still
we can see that global engagement has generally boasts the highest figures on record for global
slowed down. usage. Back then, the long-term impact of this
uptick wasn’t clear; but it is now. Engagement has
Time spent on social media has been a bit of a fluctuated a little, but ultimately leveled off. If we
rollercoaster over the last 5 years. Between 2014- take MEA out of the equation, the global average
2018, the average time spent on networks was is what it was three years ago.
yet to exceed
pandemic Latin America Middle East & Africa Globally Asia Pacific North America Europe
heights 3:29 3:35 3:32 3:38 3:36 3:33 3:37 3:42 3:34
3:08 3:15 3:15 3:24 3:19 3:19 3:12 3:10 3:31
2:25 2:29 2:23 2:30 2:25 2:22 2:24 2:27 2:28
2:19 2:25 2:14 2:22 2:16 2:11 2:14 2:19 2:16
2:02 2:06 2:07 2:08 2:05 2:04 2:01 2:07 2:11
1:59 1:59 1:56 2:03 2:02 2:00 2:03 2:02 2:03
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Globally 2:16 2:20 2:26 2:25 2:26 Ghana 2:59 3:10 3:07 3:22 3:20 Netherlands 1:25 1:17 1:20 1:22 1:25 Sweden 1:54 1:50 1:49 1:50 2:01
Argentina 3:13 3:18 3:20 3:23 3:25 Greece — — — 1:51 1:55 Zealand
New Zealand 1:50 1:43 1:47 1:51 2:00 Switzerland 1:19 1:20 1:19 1:22 1:28
Australia 1:40 1:35 1:46 1:48 1:56 Hong Kong 2:01 1:53 1:55 1:55 1:58 Nigeria 3:04 3:26 3:31 3:46 3:42 Taiwan 2:06 1:53 1:53 1:53 2:08
Austria 1:16 1:16 1:19 1:22 1:27 India 2:25 2:29 2:29 2:30 2:33 Philippines 4:01 4:09 4:01 4:05 4:08 Thailand 3:07 3:14 2:58 2:48 2:55
Belgium 1:32 1:32 1:35 1:41 1:40 Indonesia 3:27 3:23 3:19 3:19 3:20 Poland 1:42 1:45 1:55 1:56 1:54 Turkey 2:49 2:53 2:56 3:01 3:03
Brazil 3:40 3:39 3:40 3:41 3:46 Ireland 1:46 1:56 1:53 1:52 1:55 Portugal 2:13 2:13 2:11 2:19 2:29 UAE 2:56 3:01 3:04 3:07 3:12
Canada 1:48 1:48 1:51 1:46 1:53 Israel — — 1:59 2:02 2:02 Romania — 2:34 2:20 2:19 2:18 UK 1:54 1:52 1:47 1:47 1:47
China 1:59 2:01 2:13 2:01 1:58 Italy 1:53 1:49 1:51 1:50 1:49 Russia 2:20 2:22 2:29 2:22 2:24 U.S. 2:03 2:05 2:01 2:08 2:08
Colombia — 3:34 3:46 3:41 3:41 Japan 0:46 0:40 0:44 0:49 0:50 Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia 2:38 2:52 3:08 3:11 3:16 Vietnam 2:36 2:33 2:24 2:22 2:29
Denmark — 1:36 1:36 1:39 1:48 Kenya 2:51 2:59 3:17 3:33 3:08 Singapore 2:08 2:11 2:13 2:17 2:24
Egypt 3:07 3:05 3:02 2:52 2:57 Malaysia 3:07 3:04 2:56 3:03 3:02 South Africa
South Africa 2:47 2:59 3:15 3:32 3:37
France 1:25 1:23 1:37 1:41 1:46 Mexico 3:11 3:15 3:22 3:25 3:25 South Korea
South Korea 1:11 1:12 1:13 1:12 1:13
group stands out for saying linked to the casual post- what their customers have to
social platforms are good ing trend and the rise of say, even if it means relaxing
for society and help them new layouts like the “pho- their production standards.
feel connected to others; to-dump” in the West. Now If younger consumers are I worry I spend too much I am using social media
but also for believing there’s this less polished, messy putting more raw, social- time on social media less than I used to
too much pressure to be aesthetic has caught on, ly-aware material out into
perfect in this space, and over 3 in 10 feel more con- the world, brands need to GWI Zeitgeist September 2021 & GWI Core Q3 2021
that it causes them anxiety. fident sharing photos of match and encourage it. 9,223 social media users in Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, UK, USA aged 16-64; 204,493 internet users aged 16-64
Keeping in touch with friends/family Reading news stories Finding products to purchase Sharing/discussing opinions with others
48 33 27 26
47 36 28 26
51 38 26 24
54 36 21 21
Filling spare time Finding inspiration for things Making new contacts Watching/following sports
43 32 27 24
37 30 26 24
33 25 22 20
28 20 15 15
Finding content Following celebrities or influencers Seeing updates/content from your favorite brands Finding like-minded communities/interest groups
39 28 26 24
33 24 26 23
27 17 20 22
20 10 13 19
Seeing what's trending/what's being talked about Avoiding missing out on things Watching livestreams Posting about your life
35 27 26 24
31 22 26 24
26 18 22 19
19 14 15 13
A trip down
memory lane
Nostalgia marketing is another great way to millennials make up the majority of those who use
capture user attention. While it isn’t anything its Memories feature; plus, those who engage with
new, strategies have picked up and matured it are 43% more likely than average to say they
in recent years. Fortunately for emerging busi- prefer thinking about the past, rather than the
nesses, “the past” doesn’t have to mean decades future. Without getting into the debate of whether
ago. The pandemic shrunk our nostalgia loop, this is constructive, it’s clear people are comforted
with the “good old days” potentially referring to by nostalgia and that it carries a lot of influence,
any moment over the past few years. And plat- which is why new annual events like Instagram
forms have become a prime place to express Playback keep cropping up.
2019-21 nostalgia.
To trigger this emotion, brands can take part in
Young consumers are especially gripped by these throwback events or ask fans to share relevant
vibes on social media. If we look at an audi- memories. As long as they seem natural, many
ence of Snapchatters, we can see Gen Z and will appreciate these blasts from the past.
Despite growing competition, it’s well-embedded in people’s quick glance back at their social
Facebook isn’t going anywhere. online experience. media motivations helps explain
It tops our global leadership this: for all other generations,
board and most younger con- That being said, Gen Z has a finding news is one of their top
sumers use it each month. special place for Instagram. three reasons for using social
Especially with so many web- In every quarter since Q2 networks; whereas Gen Z places
sites using Facebook Login to 2019, more 16-24s have visited more priority on finding content
speed up the sign-in process, Instagram than Facebook. A and seeing what’s trending.
% of internet users outside China who use the following social media services monthly
have an average
of 4.6 social
media accounts
% of internet users outside China who use the following messaging services monthly
2 Follow/find information about products and brands 2 Keep up-to-date with news/the world
Well-known companies often rush to make early Based on the % of each platform’s monthly visitors
investments in up-and-coming platforms like who use the service for the following 3 Post/share photos or videos 3 Follow/find information about products and brands
New sites do have a unique set of usage moti- 2 Post/share photos or videos 2 Find funny/entertaining content 2 Post/share photos or videos
vations, but these aren’t exclusive to any one
3 Keep up-to-date with news/the world 3 Message friends/family 3 Keep up-to-date with news/the world
platform. For example, there’s considerable over-
lap when it comes to citing product research as Smart Trendy/cool Young
a use case: 54% of Pinners who say they use the
site to find brand-related information also visit
Instagram for the same reason.
Pinterest Instagram Twitter
Scanned a QR code
WeChat Kuaishou
Sent a video
Watched a video
Tencent QQ Xiaohongshu
Used Mini Programs to access third party apps
GWI Core Q3 2021 24,983 internet users in China aged 16-64; and 19,328 WeChat users
America
Q4 2020
leading light
WhatsApp Facebook WeChat Greece 30 Portugal 27
Instagram LINE VK (Russia Only)
Hong Kong 32 Romania 37
Kakao Talk (South Korea Only)
India 31 Russia 22
France 26 Nigeria 39 UK 21
Why short-form
videos are on trend
Across every age group and country in our Short videos are quick to create and tend
Zeitgeist study, short-form content is more popu- toward the less polished, more spontaneous
lar than long-form. TikTok may have kickstarted content people are after. A good example is
a new era of bite-sized videos, but many social Puma challenging followers to recreate its logo
platforms now offer their own alternative. Reels more successfully, after dueting to a video of
have been around for some time, but they’re pick- a barista trying to make a coffee with a puma
ing up steam. In fact, there’s been a 20% increase on top. Consumers on these channels are far
in the number of Instagram users engaging with more likely to use social media for creative
this feature since 2020. Companies need to inspiration and favor brands that offer this, so
meet consumers where they are to make the editing tools like TikTok’s Stitch or Instagram’s
most impact, which means upping their invest- Remix feature are good resources to draw on.
ments in this format is likely to pay off.
Gen Z Gen X
longer ones
are well-liked
among younger 86
consumers
96 96 93
81 73
Created a Story
Created Stories
Stories are very widespread. Outside than 1 in 10 in America post com- see what’s trending and to share opin- Posted polls/questions on Stories
China, 61% of social media users view ments online that they’d never say in ions. New additions like Instagram’s
or create a story on either Snapchat, real life, which suggests that most think “Add Yours” sticker are helping busi-
Instagram, or Facebook monthly. This twice before posting publicly; and the nesses answer these demands; this
number has increased slightly since the number who prefer to share content call to action has already been used to Facebook
end of 2020 and already surpassed with friends and family privately has fire up response chains sharing sports
three-quarters of all internet users in increased by 9% since Q4 2020. This match viewing locations or outfits Used Facebook Stories
Latin America. evolving mindset is prompting more to of the day, with extraordinary results.
lean on stories. Given Instagrammers are the most
Attitudes toward posting have, and likely to create Stories each month, the
continue to, change. While some are Stories are also getting better at cater- site and its growing catalog of tools GWI Core Q3 2021
posting more, many prefer their updates ing to engagers, who are far more likely are a boon to brands hoping to stir 123,714 Instagram users, 52,049 Snapchat users, and 147,189
to be temporary or semi-private. Less to say they mainly use social networks to up UGC. Facebook/Facebook Messenger users aged 16-64
Used filters/geofilters
Lockdowns and ongoing restric- use AR in advertising as tech-
tions left a gap for augmented nologically advanced (42%), Used Lenses
reality to fill, with around a third innovative (41%), and progres- TikTok Snapchat Instagram
of social media users in the U.S. sive (28%) – which are all qualities
and UK saying AR is helpful for that help separate brands from
trying on products they wouldn’t their competitors.
otherwise during the pandemic.
Instagram
L’Oréal and MAC already offer While AR can do a lot of good,
virtual product testing for cos- this does depend on how com- Used filters
metics on Instagram, and the panies use it. Since 2020, there’s
possibilities for fashion, tech, and been a drop in filter usage in
lifestyle industries are expanding. various parts of the world, with
1 in 5 social media users want-
As well as working to convert ing to see pictures that don’t use
TikTok 56 | 49 | 43 42 | 37 | 31
buyers, ads that use AR tend to filters from the people or organi-
Thanks
be more attention-grabbing, with zations they follow. It seems some
Used an effect AR makes I pay more attention to
examples from early adopters consumers are impressed by
the shopping advertising that incorporates
to social
confirming its benefits. Pet care companies using AR to enhance experience easier augmented reality
company Purina used AR in a the shopping experience, but feel
media, AR
brand awareness campaign that let down when it’s used to aug-
allowed viewers to interact with ment promotional content.
is familiar
an animated cat; this achieved
over 170 million paid impressions We discuss filter usage in more GWI Core Q3 2021 & GWI Custom November 2021
ground
on Facebook and Snapchat. Plus, detail within our Connecting the 123,714 Instagram users, 52,049 Snapchat users, and 90,038 TikTok users aged 16-64;
many describe businesses that dots report. 1,105 Instagram users, 422 Snapchat users, and 432 TikTok users in the U.S./UK
consumers want
fresh perspectives
% of social media users in each generation who typically
consume news content in the following ways
Interest in the news has gen- allow a network’s audience to from influencers also suggests
erally dropped over the past few collectively decide on what’s they want perspectives that
quarters. Consumers that have in the spotlight and for cov- aren’t in mainstream media.
switched off news cite too much erage to be customized. This Trending topics on social media 43 36 22 11
negativity and COVID-19 con- helps explain the 13% rise in the To ensure they’re resonating
tent as their main reasons for number of consumers reading with younger groups, brands
doing so. Twitter’s end-of-year or watching the news on social and media companies can
analysis supports this change media since the start of 2020. lean on trending topics. 64%
in preference. In 2020, its most of consumers who use Twitter News apps on social media 38 41 26 16
used hashtag was #COVID19, People have a habit of associat- Communities and Topics in the
which was dethroned by #BTS ing traditional social sites with U.S./UK would like their favorite
(often used to rally against older groups, but Twitter’s most brands to be more engaged in
Asian hate crimes) in 2021 – a popular among Gen Z. The this space. As well as taking
sign many are now more recep- app’s Topics feature is a major part, companies can use these Content from influencers/online
26 23 9 4
tive to other issues. selling point for this generation, tools to stay on top of what personalities
who are 36% more likely to want issues are important within their
This is where social channels news coverage to be tailored to industry, find engaging things
have an advantage over TV. their interests. The fact that a to share on social media, and
News apps and trending topics large number get their updates get ideas for their own content. GWI Zeitgeist September 2021 9,223 social media users in 7 markets
Efforts to make
gaming more social 21 25 11 14 social motivations for
are paying off
% of gamers in the U.S.
listening to music
who have done the following
in the last month % of global music streamers who listen to music
for the following reasons
42%
Played a game online with Used a group call/messaging
your real-life friends service (e.g. Discord)
To express
my individuality
2020 2021
41%
19 22 17 20
developed a preference
for online interactions
% of online daters in the U.S. who To be able to share
with friends and family
agree with the following
I feel more connected to people I prefer communicating online GWI USA Q2 2020-Q3 2021; GWI Core Q3 2021
online than in real life instead of face-to-face 8,923 online daters and 46,884 gamers in America aged 16+; 37,147 music streamers aged 16-64
Marketing in
the metaverse
It is really the creators
and developers who
are going to build the
metaverse and make
this real
MARK ZUCKERBERG
First coined in a 1992 novel, the term “metaverse” While the metaverse is often imagined as a
is thought by some – Mark Zuckerberg included gaming space first and foremost, its impact
– to represent the future of social media, if not on content creation shouldn’t be overlooked.
the whole internet. But for all the buzz around it, The most popular reason for wanting to take
what do consumers actually think? part in the metaverse is based on the idea
that it will make online gaming more popu-
Most internet users (70%) have heard of the term, lar (43%), but hopes that it’ll make content
though the majority of those (53%) don’t actually creation easier or more prominent is also a
know what it means. 51% would be interested in powerful incentive (41%). As the gaming indus-
participating, though this drops with age. It’s too try’s tie to the creator economy continues to
early to say if the metaverse is the next big thing, strengthen, companies looking for some cul-
but there are useful insights we can share with tural clout could consider partnering up with
brands looking for a first-mover advantage. influencers in these virtual spaces.
How research
leads to discovery
Overall, search engines (32%), ads seen we can see they’re slowly gaining on
on TV (31%), and word-of-mouth rec- search engines. The space between
ommendations (28%) top our brand the two, which was 7 percentage
discovery chart. But social media points in 2020, now rests at 4. Plus,
comes in all shapes and sizes, with Gen Z passed an important milestone
sources like Q&A sites also falling under in Q3 2020; social networks are now
its umbrella. ROI agency Zenith pre- the most common way they find out
dicts that 2022 is the year that’ll see about brands or products. For them,
social media’s ad market overtake TV, the gap has already been filled and
which seems reasonable given how big then some. Traditional formats are
this channel’s combined impact is. still important and this is unlikely to
change anytime soon, but social net-
Even if we look at the habit of research- works are taking up more room at the
ing products on social networks alone, discovery table.
discovery
when looking for more information on brands
livestreams
are most Vietnam 42
popular Indonesia 38
South Africa 38
Brazil 37
The next phase of
livestream shopping
China 37
China is a pioneer for livestream shopping typically meet online, marketers wanting to
and often looked to as a shining example in go live have a range of platforms to choose
other markets. 47% of online shoppers here from, especially now Twitter’s joined the
watch a livestream weekly, and billions were ranks. Whatever site they land on, they’re
Who’s
sold in goods by individual influencers during raising the chances of social buying by % in each group who have watched a livestream in the last week
Single’s Day 2021. investing in live video. Gaming and social
watching
livestreamers are far more likely than aver-
Livestreaming definitely isn’t a market age to list a social media “buy” button as Cloud Influencer/ Social media
gamers brand followers users
them?
exclusive trend, though. Consumers in four a top online purchase driver (20% vs 13%),
countries have surpassed China for lives- and these figures are higher than for other
tream engagement, with MEA countries like consumer groups like IGTV/Reels users or
Morocco (+20%), UAE (+14%), and South Stories viewers.
Africa (+13%) making significant jumps
since Q1 2021. Lockdowns might have given 2022 will likely see more high-end brands 46 40 39 33 31
live videos more momentum, but they’ve get involved. Luxury companies in China are
managed to keep this going. used to going live, and those in other regions
are starting to break the ice. Over 1 in 4
Livestreams should be on the radar of any luxury buyers in the West watch a livestream
brand looking to engage an attentive, and weekly, which ensured a large audience for Online shoppers Millennials
often impulsive, audience. Depending on Burberry’s live debut of its spring/summer
their target customers and where they 2021 collection on Twitch. GWI Core Q3 2021 204,493 internet users and 199,419 social media users aged 16-64
Social shopping has taken sparking discussion about drives their target audience
flight, but it’s landing differ- their shop using features to make social purchases
ently around the world. Latin like polls, encouraging social and use this data to shape
Americans lead when it shoppers to share their their strategy are likely to be
comes to engaging with pro- purchases, and prompting among tomorrow’s winners.
moted content and making creators to review their store-
in-app purchases. At the front – as visitors are more It’s worth remembering that
other end of the spectrum, likely to give social shopping each platform lends itself to
Europeans are the most a go if the idea comes from social commerce differently.
likely to use ad-blockers, the someone they trust. Across seven leading apps,
least confident about han- Instagrammers interact
dling their data online, and Despite some groups most with paid social cam-
the most reluctant to check- remaining unsure, globally, paigns, while more Facebook
out in social spaces. social commerce is expand- users checkout on the plat-
ing. The number engaging form. For now, the former is
Raising awareness will help with Facebook Marketplace better at inspiring decisions,
tone down their security and Instagram Shopping and the latter at closing the
concerns. Many data hesi- Bag has climbed since loop. Though, strategies will
tant consumers cite reviews 2020, and these channels need tweaking over time
(33%) and positivity on social are set to claim an increas- as each site’s functionali-
media (20%) as top pur- ingly bigger share of total ties evolve and players like
chase influencers. Brands ecommerce sales. Brands TikTok carve out their own
could therefore benefit from that understand what unique piece of the pie.
is highest in LatAm
Latin America Middle East & Africa North America
42 42 30 38 33 37
Latin America Asia Pacific Middle East Globally North America Europe
and Africa
Asia Pacific Europe Globally
31 32 23 23 31 33
20 18 16 16 14 11
1 On an average day, how 6 How often do you visit or 9 What are your main reasons 12 What have you done on of these statements do you 18 In the last week, which of
long do you spend on use these services? (At for using social media? S n a p c h a t / I n s t a g ra m / agree with? • Which of the these have you watched,
social media? least monthly) • Which of Facebook in the last following describe the rea- listened to, or done online?
the following actions have 10 Which of these social net- month? sons you listen to music? (Watched a live video
2 On an average day, how you done online in the works would you say is stream)
long do you spend on past month? (Interacted your favorite? 13
What have you done 16
Which of the following
social media? with a brand on a mes- on Snapchat/ TikTok / online sources do you 19
Which of the following
saging app) 11 In the last month, I have Instagram in the last mainly use when you are actions have you done
3 Which of these statements watched a short online month? • To what extent actively looking for more online in the past month?
do you agree with? • Which 7 Which platforms/services video (less than 4 minutes do you agree or disa- information about brands, (Clicked on a promoted/
of the following do you feel do you use to do the fol- long) about... • In the last gree with the following products, or services? • sponsored post on a social
describes you? lowing? • Which of these do month, I have watched statement? How do you typically find network) • What have
you want brands to be? a medium-length online out about new brands you done on Instagram/
4 What are your main reasons video (between 4 and 20 14 How do you typically con- and products? Facebook in the last
for using social media? 8 How often do you visit or minutes long) about... • sume news content? month?
use these services? • What In the last month, I have 17 Which of these statements
5 How often do you visit or have you done on WeChat watched a long online 15 Which of these gaming-re- do you agree with? • Which
use these services? (At in the last month? video (over 20 minutes lated actions have you done social media accounts do
least monthly) long) about... in the last month? • Which you follow or subscribe to?
68
Notes on
methodology
Introduction them a wide range of Our Quotas Organization, the CIA Mobile Survey differ as some will include Europe and North America penetration, its online popu-
questions about their Factbook, Eurostat, the US Respondents both mobile and PC/ to lows of around 20% in lation can be very different to
All figures in this report are lives, lifestyles and digital To ensure that our research Bureau of Labor Statistics as laptop/tablet respondents parts of APAC), the nature its total population; broadly
drawn from GWI’s online behaviors. We source these is reflective of the online well as a range of national From Q1 2017 on, GWI has and others will include only of our samples is impacted speaking, the lower the
research among internet respondents in partnership population in each market, statistics sources, govern- offered our Core survey on respondents who completed accordingly. country’s overall internet pen-
users aged 16-64. Please with a number of industry- we set appropriate quotas ment departments and mobile. This allows us to GWI’s Core survey via PC/ etration rate, the more likely
note that we only interview leading panel providers. on age, gender and other credible and robust survey internet users who laptop/tablet. For more Where a market has a high it is that its internet users
respondents aged 16-64 and Each respondent who takes education – meaning that third-party sources. prefer using a mobile or details on our methodology internet penetration rate, will be young, urban, afflu-
our figures are representa- a GWI survey is assigned we interview representative are mobile-only (who use a for mobile surveys and the its online population will be ent and educated. In some
tive of the online populations a unique and persistent numbers of men vs women, This research is also used mobile to get online but do questions asked to mobile relatively similar to its total Middle Eastern, African and
of each market, not its identifier regardless of the of 16-24s, 25-34s, 35-44s, to calculate the “weight” not use or own any other respondents, click here. population and hence we Asian countries (e.g. India,
total population. site/panel to which they 45-54s and 55-64s, and of of each respondent; that is, device). Mobile respondents will see good representa- Indonesia), we would also
belong and no respondent people with secondary vs approximately how many complete a shorter version Internet tion across all age, gender expect a gender-based skew
Our Research can participate in our survey tertiary education. people (of the same gender, of our Core survey, answer- Penetration Rates and education breaks. This towards males. Generally,
more than once a year (with age and educational attain- ing 50 questions, all carefully Across GWI’s is typically the case in North younger internet users are
Each year, GWI interviews the exception of internet To do this, we conduct ment) are represented by adapted to be compatible Markets America, much of Europe more active and engaged with
over 700,000 internet users in Egypt, Saudi research across a range their responses. with mobile screens. and places in APAC such as a lot of the behaviors and ser-
users aged 16-64 across Arabia and the UAE, where of international and Because internet penetration Japan and Australia. vices tracked by GWI, which
47 markets. Respondents respondents are allowed national sources, including Please note that the sample rates can vary significantly means % scores will typically
complete an online to complete the survey at the World Bank, the ITU, sizes presented in the charts between countries (from Where a market has a be higher in low-to-medi-
questionnaire that asks 6-month intervals). the International Labour throughout this report may a high of 90%+ in parts of medium to low internet um-penetration markets.
70
Internet Penetration Argentina 83 Morocco 74 Internet Penetration Argentina 1,582 Morocco 1,064
Rates (GWI’s Forecasts Australia 91 Netherlands 96 Rates: GWI Versus Australia 4,382 Netherlands 1,313
for 2021 based on ITU Austria 91 New Zealand 94 ITU Figures Austria 1,300 New Zealand 1,312
2017 and 2018 data) Belgium 92 Nigeria 51 Belgium 1,311 Nigeria 802
Brazil 77 Philippines 68 Brazil 5,785 Philippines 3,155
As GWI’s Core Research is conducted
Canada 95 Poland 83 Canada 4,860 Poland 2,102
The table here refers to the total popula- among 16-64 year-olds, we supplement
tion in each market. The above internet China 66 Portugal 79 the internet penetration forecasts for a China 24,983 Portugal 1,279
penetration estimates are calculated Colombia 69 Romania 78 country’s total population (reproduced Colombia 2,574 Romania 1,359
using the most recent data from the Denmark 98 Russia 89 above) with internet penetration fore- Denmark 1,557 Russia 4,334
International Telecommunication Union Egypt 59 Saudi Arabia 93 casts for 16-64s specifically. Egypt 1,847 Saudi Arabia 1,568
- a United Nations agency responsible France 87 Singapore 91 France 10,725 Singapore 3,181
for issues concerning communication Forecasts for 16-64s will be higher than Germany 10,698 South Africa 1,583
Germany 93 South Africa 64
technologies. The most recent pub- our forecasts for total population, since
Ghana 51 South Korea 98 Ghana 847 South Korea 1,975
lished data from this source is from 16-64s are the most likely age groups to
Greece 80 Spain 93 Greece 1,299 Spain 10,535
2018 (and in some countries 2017), so be using the internet.
GWI forecast the data forward to 2020 Hong Kong 93 Sweden 96 Hong Kong 1,833 Sweden 2,625
by making calculations based on the India 47 Switzerland 96 India 13,743 Switzerland 1,564
trend of internet growth in each country Indonesia 49 Taiwan 91 SAMPLE SIZE Indonesia 5,251 Taiwan 2,339
from 2000 onwards. This calculation is Ireland 88 Thailand 63 BY MARKET Ireland 1,303 Thailand 3,860
then adjusted based on other (usually Israel 1,551 Turkey 2,048
Israel 90 Turkey 80
national government) sources which can
Italy 79 UAE 99 Italy 5,253 UAE 1,874
be used to provide an accurate overview This report draws insights from GWI’s
Japan 94 UK 97 Japan 5,291 UK 10,428
of internet usage in each country. Note Q3 2021 wave of research across 47
that the figures used to calculate GWI’s Kenya 42 USA 92 countries, with a global sample of Kenya 796 USA 24,692
own universe figures will be among Malaysia 86 Vietnam 73 204,493 respondents. Malaysia 3,834 Vietnam 2,557
16-64s only, and will therefore be higher. Mexico 74 Mexico 4,339
72
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