The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan organization funded by a Philadelphia-based charity, has conducted more than 100 surveys on Internet usage in the United States as part of the Pew Internet & American Life Project (PIALP). In a recent report titled Social Media Update, 2013, the PIALP examined adults’ (ages 18 and up) attitudes and behavior toward online social media networks. Regarded merely as a fun, online activity for high school and college students just a few years ago, social media now exert tremendous influence over the way people around the world—of all ages—get and share information. The five social media sites investigated in this report include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. The Pew Research Center contacted 1,445 Internet users via landline telephone or cell phone for the survey.

Several of the many survey questions asked are provided here as well as the survey results:

• Social Networking:

  When asked if they ever use an online social networking site, adults responded:

  Yes	73%
  No	27%

• Facebook Usage:

  When Facebook users were asked how often they visit the social media site, they responded:

  Several times a day	40%
  About once a day	24%
  3–5 days a week	10%
  1–2 days a week	13%
  Every few weeks	6%
  Less often	7%

• Twitter Usage:

  When asked if they ever use Twitter, adults responded:

  Yes	18%
  No	82%

• Overall Social Media Usage:

  When asked about how many of the five social networking sites they use, adults responded:

  0	22%
  1	36%
  2	23%
  3	12%
  4	5%
  5	2%

  $(\text{Average}=1.48\text{sites})$

  In the following “Statistics in Action Revisited” sections, we discuss several key statistical concepts covered in this chapter that are relevant to the Pew Internet & American Life Project survey.