A new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project has found that people who use Facebook are more trusting, have more social support and are more politically active than those who do not.
In the Pew Internet Project sample, 79% of American adults said they used the Internet and nearly half of adults (47%), or 59% of Internet users, said they used at least one of the social networking services (SNS). This is close to double the 26% of adults (34% of Internet users) who used a SNS in 2008.
The study also revealed that over half of all adult SNS users are now over the age of 35 and 56% of SNS users now are female.
Facebook dominates the SNS space, with 92% of SNS users are on Facebook; 29% use MySpace, 18% used LinkedIn and 13% use Twitter.
The survey also found that while 52% of Facebook users and 33% of Twitter users use the sites daily, only 7% of MySpace and 6% of LinkedIn users do the same.
The study found that Facebook users are more trusting than others and have more close relationships.
Facebook users get more social support than other people, said the study. It said that Internet users in general score three points higher in total support, six points higher in companionship, and four points higher in instrumental support.
Facebook users are also much more politically engaged than most people, according to the survey. It said compared with other Internet users, and users of other SNS platforms, a Facebook user who uses the site multiple times per day was an additional two and half times more likely to attend a political rally or meeting.
Separately, Facebook has announced that it has hired President Bill Clinton’s former press secretary Joe Lockhart as its new vice-president of global communications.
