While there’s a ton of entertaining cat and fail videos on YouTube, data shows half the people on YouTube are there for education.
A new Pew research study surveyed 4,594 Americans in 2018 found that 51 percent of YouTube users uses YouTube videos to learn new things. This proves true for regular and irregular users. “That works out to 35 percent of all U.S. adults, once both users and non-users of the site are accounted for,” the study reads.
It’s not all about education though
Twenty-eight percent of users say that they’re just on YouTube to pass the time, not looking to learn anything specific. The majority of these users are younger adults. Additionally 19 percent are on YouTube for guidance on new purchase. Also, 19 percent say they use YouTube to keep up-to-day with news.
“Some 32% of users who visit the site several times a day – and 19% of those who visit once a day – say it is very important for helping them understand things that are happening in the world,” the study says. “That compares with 10% of users who visit less often”. However, 64 percent of those that are surveyed say they sometimes find videos that are “obviously fake.” 60 percent say they occasionally find videos that depict dangerous behavior. 11 percent say they “regularly” see abusive content on Youtube.
Children are watching a lot of YouTube
The study also claims that about 81 percent of parents allow their children to watch videos on YouTube. Additionally, 34 percent of these parents allow their children on the platform “regularly”. 60 percent of those parents report they’ve seen content that wasn’t age-appropriate on YouTube.
About a fifth of the most recommended videos in the study were geared towards children.
It’s an interesting study that gives us a solid insight into the way YouTube is being used today.
