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Study: Canadian social media use

Mintel Group has released a study on the use of social media in Canada. According to the report, called Social Media Trends Canada 2015, the most active users of social media are consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 at 95%, followed by parents at 92%, adults without children in the home at 82% and consumers over the age of 55 at 67%. In addition, 48% of consumers in this country use social media sites to discover products. The figure rises to 59% among mothers.

Among all Canadian Internet users, 85% visit social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This is in comparison to the 87% who visit shopping sites and the 85% who visit news sites. Of these, social media sites are the most likely to be visited daily, with 60% of respondents claiming to do so. Forty-one percent of respondents said they visit these sites multiple times per day. Adult men between the ages of 18 and 34 are the most likely to use three or more social media sites per day.

Facebook is the most popular social media site in Canada, visited by 95% of social media users. This is followed by Google+ at 67%, Twitter at 47% and LinkedIn at 47%. Users reported that the computer is the most popular way to access these sites, with 68% of respondents doing so. Smartphones were used by 61% of respondents. Forty-eight percent said they use two or more devices to access social media, while 23% reported using a phone and 10% a tablet as their primary means of access.

Social media sites are used by 68% of respondents primarily to maintain contact with friends and family members, but 48% reported using them to make some kind of purchase-related decision, such as finding a discount, seeking an opinion on a product or finding product information.

"The Internet is an essential part of Canadians' daily lives, and social networking sites are among the top websites consumers visit," said Carol Wong-Li, senior analyst of lifestyles and leisure at Mintel. "Unsurprisingly, usage of social networking websites skews towards younger Canadians, with an overwhelming majority using social media platforms daily. We're also seeing that Canadian parents are more likely to use social sites compared to those without children in the home, indicating consumers who are pressed for time are utilizing social media as a method of staying connected."

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