In 2010 DECODE conducted a quantitative study (DECODING DIGITAL FRIENDS) focusing on how young people (ages 15 – 34) use social media and other digital communication technologies. The study was conducted in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. The sample size was n > 1,000 for each country. A person had to be a social media user in order to be included. This quiz highlights a few of the interesting gender-related insights this data revealed.

1. Gen Y & Social Media Quiz:
Differences between men and women
powered by deeper knowledge of young generations
© DECODE 2011 www.decode.net denis@decode.net 1

2. OVERVIEW
In 2010 DECODE conducted a quantitative study (DECODING DIGITAL
FRIENDS) focusing on how young people (ages 15 – 34) use social media and
other digital communication technologies.
The study was conducted in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.
The sample size was n > 1,000 for each country.
A person had to be a social media user in order to be included.
This quiz highlights a few of the interesting gender-related insights this data
revealed.
2

3. Q1. Who are more likely to be interested in using social
media to meet new people - men or women?
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 3

4. Q1. Who are more likely to be interested in using social media to meet new people - men or women?
A1: Men
U.K. U.S. Canada
In each of the three countries
we sampled, young men were
Meet New People more likely to say they found
social media valuable as a
way to meet new people;
conversely, young women
were more likely to say they
Learn Different Points of View found it valuable for staying
connected with people they
knew. When it comes to
learning different viewpoints,
very little difference is seen
Connect with People I Know between the responses from
men and women.
-15 -11.25 -7.5 -3.75 0 3.75 7.5 11.25 15
Men More Likely %W - %M Women More Likely
decoding digital connections
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 4

5. Q2. Who are more likely to indicate they use Facebook
on a daily basis – men or women?
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6. Q2. Who are more likely to indicate they use Facebook on a daily basis – men or women?
A2. Women
70
In each of the three countries
we looked at, women were
more likely than men to
indicate they used Facebook
52.5
on a daily basis (the average
difference in response was
10%). The biggest gender gap
was in Canada, primarily
35 because only 49% of male
respondents indicated daily
usage (vs. 57 – 60% of male
respondents in the U.S. and
17.5 U.K, respectively). The
difference between women
across countries was much
smaller.
0
Canada U.S. U.K.
Men Women
decoding digital connections
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 6

7. Q3. Who are more likely to believe they are influential
among their online social networks – men or women?
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8. Q3. Who are more likely to believe they are influential among their online social networks – men or
women?
A3. Men
50
For the majority of questions
we asked about social media
and digital communications,
37.5
women indicated they were
more likely to engage than
men. But when it comes to
perceived influence – how
25 influential someone feels
they are in shaping the
opinions of the people they
communicate with digitally –
12.5 men are more likely to
respond positively than
women.
0
Canada U.S. U.K.
Men Women
decoding digital connections
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 8

9. Q4. Who are more likely to tell a friend about a brand or
product they might like – U.S. men or U.K. women?
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10. Q4. Who are more likely to tell a friend about a brand or product they might like – U.S. men or U.K.
women?
A4. Tied
Men Women
We asked respondents about
what made something worth
talking about with friends
(ten options). When it came
U.K. to information on brands or
products that friends might
like, two dominant trends
emerged: women were more
likely to see this as a good
U.S. reason than men (average
gender gap of 10% across the
three nations), and
Americans were more likely to
see this as a good reason then
Canada Canadians and Brits. Put the
two trends together, and U.S.
men end up virtually tied with
U.K. women (47.4% vs.
0 15 30 45 60 48.7%).
decoding digital connections
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 10

11. Q5. When asked how many Facebook friends one has,
which category are women more likely to select than
men: zero, 1- 49, 100 – 250, or 1,000+?
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12. Q5. When asked how many Facebook friends one has, which category are women more likely to select than
men: zero, 1- 49, 100 – 250, or 1,000+?
A5. 150-250
40%
When asked how many
Facebook friends one has,
the biggest gender difference
30%
that emerged was that
women were more likely to
indicate 100 – 250; men were
more likely to indicate zero,
20%
1-49, and 1,000 +. The chart
above merges the data from
all three countries together,
but the story remains quite
10% consistent when looking at
each country in isolation.
0%
0 1-49 50-99 100-250 251-999 1000+
Men Women
decoding digital connections
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 12

13. Q6. Who are more likely to click on a Facebook “like”
based on the digital recommendation of a close friend –
men or women?
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14. Q6. Who are more likely to click on a Facebook “like” based on the digital recommendation of a close
friend – men or women?
a6. Women
Men Women
U.K.
In each of the countries we
surveyed, women were more
likely than men to report they
click on a “thumbs up” or
U.S. “like” based on
recommendations of close
friends. The average gender
gap was 18%, with the
biggest disparity existing in
Canada (59% vs. 38%).
Canada
0 15 30 45 60
decoding digital connections
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 14

15. Q7. Who are more likely to make a purchase based on
the digital recommendation of a close friend – men or
women?
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16. Q7. Who are more likely to make a purchase based on the digital recommendation of a close friend – men
or women?
A7. Men
Men Women
In each of the countries we
surveyed, men were more
likely than women to report
buying things based on
U.K. digital recommendations they
received from close friends.
The average gender gap was
9%, with the biggest disparity
existing in the U.K. (12%).
U.S. This is an interesting contrast
with the previous question,
which revealed that women
were significantly more likely
than men to click on a “like”
Canada button because of a digital
recommendation from a
close friend. Also notice the
big difference between
0 12.5 25 37.5 50 Canada and the U.S.
decoding digital connections
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 16

17. Q8. In order to act on a digital recommendation from
someone, who’s more likely to require regular digital
interactions with them – men or women?
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18. Q8. In order to act on a digital recommendation from someone, who’s more likely to require regular
digital interactions with them – men or women?
A8. Men
We asked our respondents a
U.K. series of questions about
what qualities someone must
have before you actually do
something based on
recommendations you
receive from them (through
U.S.
digital sources). In each of
the three countries, women
were more likely than men to
require a close, in-person
relationship; in two of the
Canada three (U.K. and Canada),
men were more likely than
Regular digital interaction women to require regular
In-person relationship digital interactions.
-8% -6% -4% -2% 0% 2% 4% 6%
Men more likely %W - %M Women more likely
decoding digital connections
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 18

19. Q9. Who are more likely to be interested in giving
organizations their opinion of recent experiences – men
or women?
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20. Q9. Who are more likely to be interested in giving organizations their opinion of recent experiences – men
or women?
A9. Tied
Comment on Experience Enter Contest
50% 60% Across the three countries,
men and women are almost
exactly alike in indicating
37.5% 45% that they like sending
organizations their opinions
on the experiences they’ve
25% 30% had with them (with slight
differences emerging across
countries). However, women
12.5% 15% are much more likely than
men to indicate they like
submitting ballots to enter
0% 0% contests – particularly in
Canada U.S. U.K. Canada U.S. U.K. Canada.
Men Women Men Women
decoding digital connections
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 20

21. Q10. Who are more likely to be interested in social
media as a means of seeing what’s going on in the lives
of others – men or women?
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22. Q10. Who are more likely to be interested in social media as a means of seeing what’s going on in the lives
of others – men or women?
A10. Women
U.K. When it comes to what drives
interest and usage of social
media, a variety of
differences emerge between
men and women. One of the
more interesting is that men
U.S.
are more likely to indicate
that liking the idea of
influencing others drives
them to use it, while women
are more likely to indicate
Canada they like feeling they can see
what’s going on in other
Influence people people’s lives.
See what others are doing
-11.25% -7.5% -3.75% 0% 3.75% 7.5% 11.25% 15%
Men more likely %W - %M Women more likely
decoding digital connections
© decode 2011 contact denis@decode.net 22

23. Thanks for playing!
For more information on the study behind this quiz, or to learn about our upcoming study
of social media interactions, brands and young generations (DECODING DIGITAL
CONNECTIONS), please contact: Denis Hancock (denis@decode.net).
powered by deeper knowledge of young generations
© DECODE 2011 www.decode.net denis@decode.net 23