A new poll conducted in April 2010 by Harris Poll details the use of social media as a way for users to express their opinions about brands, companies, and products.
Overall, the poll of 2,131 U.S. adults revealed that 34% have turned to social media “as an outlet to rant or rave about a company, brand or product.” Within this group, a subset equal to 26% of the total said they complained about companies, brands or products, 23% said they spoke positively about them, and 19% gave product reviews or recommendations, as reported on MediaPost.
The Harris Poll also sheds light on how different demographic segments are influenced when it comes to making purchase decisions by social media conversations: 50% of 18-34 year olds are influenced by opinions published through social media, and 37% of people age 55 and over admit that reviews from people they follow on social media sites affect their interactions with companies, brands and products, as reported by Corporate Eye. The Harris Poll results also show how much consumers are affected by various media messages, including reviews from family and friends, on social networking sites, and on blogs and message boards.
Also see article on Adweek for more details. We were unable to find the link to the original Harris Poll – please feel free to post it below.
