September 2nd, 2022, Janice Fernandes
Over half of global consumers (58%) say they use social media for entertainment and news content. The United States registers 56% of consumers who use social media for news. But how else are Americans using social media? This week we look at whether social media plays a role when it comes to grocery shopping. We ask them if they agree or disagree with the statement: I rely heavily on social media for food/grocery recommendations.
Latest data from YouGov Profiles reveals that overall, more than three-quarters of Americans (77%) say they don’t rely heavily on social media for food/grocery recommendations. However, nearly a fifth of consumers (18%) say that social media does help them make up their mind when it comes to buying food or groceries.
Breaking down the data by age reveals that consumers across all age groups are more likely to disagree with the statement. However, younger people are much likely to lean on social media for recommendations. Nearly a third of 18-24-year-olds (29%) and 25-34-year-olds (28%) agree that they rely heavily on social media recommendations for food and grocery purchases.
While older Americans are less likely to agree, those aged 55 and above still register at least one in ten consumers (9%) who do expect to be influenced by what they see on social media.
Interestingly, social media recommendations are relied on more by consumers who say they don’t have the time to cook for themselves. Marketers might be interested in knowing that consumers who don’t have time to cook are significantly less likely than overall Americans to say they don’t buy products they see on social media (59% vs. 77%).
Over a third of time-starved consumers (36%) rely on social media to make the process of getting food on their plate easier.
Explore our living data - for free
Discover more media content here
Want to run your own research? Start building a survey now
Make smarter business decisions with better intelligence. Understand exactly what your audience is thinking by leveraging our panel of 20 million+ members. Speak with us today.
Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for US is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.