It’s time to know in detail the state of the in Spain through the 2021 study, produced by Y and sponsored by This study, which has been published annually since 2009, aims to quantify the evolution of the penetration of social networks in Spain, analyze the profile of users, and understand the knowledge and use they make of them.
And like every year, we will summarize the main data of the study, in order to present an overview of how the use of social networks has evolved in the last 12 months in the country.
Study of social networks 2021: 85% of Spanish Internet users use social networks
In this edition we analyzed the responses of men and women between the ages of 16 and 70, who were surveyed between the end of March and April 2021. Of the 33.8 million Spaniards in this age group, 93% access the internet and of them 85%, namely, 26.6 million are social network userstwo percentage points less than in 2020. In any case, it is necessary to clarify that in previous studies the population studied included people up to 65 years of age: with data comparable to the previous year, the penetration of social networks is 86%.
As in the last edition, 51% of network users in Spain are women, compared to 49% of men, with a average age of 40 years which remains constant with respect to the previous edition.
Thus, the largest age group for the use of social networks in Spain is that of users between 25 and 40 years old (35%), followed by users between 41 and 54 years old (33%), users between 16 and 24 years old ( 17%), and very close users between 55 and 70 years (16%). Most of them are university graduates (51%) and work for others (63%).
New social networks in 2021
For this edition, new social networks were taken into account: Stereo, that allows you to create live podcasts or participate in conversations with other users, , the popular IOS audio chat social network, onlyfans, the paid content subscription social network,, one of the most popular subscription platforms to facilitate income for content creators, the communication tool that managed to succeed in the gamer environment, and finally the Spanish platform dedicated to radio content and podcasts.
On the other hand, this study has eliminated 21 Buttons, Tumblr, , House Party and Byte.
Social Media Study 2021: Spontaneous Knowledge and Suggested Knowledge
Spontaneous knowledge happens when the user himself remembers the social network(s)that is, the ones you naturally have in mind when asked which ones you know.
As in past editions, Facebook is the leader in spontaneous knowledge among users of social networks in Spain, with 91%, followed by Instagram (74%) and Twitter (64%). Completing the top 5 of the most spontaneously remembered social networks we find WhatsApp (36%), significantly increasing mentions, that has superseded YouTube and LinkedIn and goes from 13% in 2020 to 29% in 2021, and finally YouTube, which drops to sixth place (19%).
As for the suggested knowledge, that which is produced when the pollster is the one who provides the name of the social network, and in this edition, Facebook and WhatsApp continue to be the most popular social networks (91% and 91% respectively). On average, this year 10 social networks are recognized in a suggested waya significant increase considering that in 2020 the average was 8.1 and in 2019 only 6.5 networks.
How would you define the different RRSS in one word? via
– Ramon Montanera (@ramonmontanera)
Most used social networks in Spain: Facebook continues to fall while TikTok steps on the accelerator
As in past editions, WhatsApp (83%), Facebook (69%) and YouTube (63%) They lead as the most used social networks during the last month, however Facebook (-8 percentage points) and YouTube (-3pp) have lowered their penetration.
Secondly, Instagram, Telegram, , Pinterest and Twitch are the social networks that have shown the greatest growth this year, with special emphasis on TikTok which rose 9 percentage points, after having grown 10pp in the previous edition.
During the last month, They have been visited on average by 4.7 networksone more than in previous editions of the study (3.9 networks in 2020 and 3.3 networks in 2019).
Since the 2018 edition of this study, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok and Pinterest are the social networks that have increased their penetration the most in the country, while Facebook, after halting its growth, is now showing a decline, especially among younger users. On the other hand, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn have been able to maintain their usage levels over time.
Frequency and intensity of use of social networks in Spain 2021
WhatsApp and Instagram remain the two most frequently used social networksand both have reaffirmed their leadership: in the case of WhatsApp, 97% of Internet users say they use it daily, while 83% of them use Instagram daily (an increase of 2pp compared to 2020).
Facebook remains in third place (72%) but continues to drop in frequency of use (78% frequency of use in 2020), the same as YouTube (67% vs. 75% in 2020)
Regarding the intensity, that is, the time of use of the social network per day, it is maintained with respect to the 2020 edition of the study with an average of 1h 21min per day (vs. 1h 19 min in 2020). People under 40 years of age are the ones who stay online the longest, especially users between 16 and 24 years old (1h 42min.) In this edition Twitch is positioned as the absolute leader for its usage time of 1 hour 40 minutesfollowed by Ivoox (1:29) and Instagram in third place (1:28), Spotify (1:23) and Discord (1:21).
The era of video on social networks
Regarding content the favorite is the video, the photos and that it is durable. The consumption of videos has increased exponentially, almost 9 out of 10 Spaniards consume them compared to 2020, below streaming and audio. In this sense, the most consumed content is tutorials, followed by comedy and music videos. If we talk about format durable content is preferred: 64% of Spaniards prefer it over ephemeral content, since 3 out of 10 of the publications viewed are ephemeral, while the majority, 7 out of 10, are long-lasting.
https://twitter.com//status/1389865384610828292
This prevalence of video over other formats is clearly seen in this graph, in which we can see that Twitch, TikTok, Stereo and Discord are the social networks that are booming in Spain, since they have the highest growth in use, while remaining dominant Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, and although declining, Facebook. On the other hand, the study certifies the decline of Waze and Snapchat, while Tinder and LinkedIn show a small decrease in their use.
Half of Spaniards have considered stopping using a social network for fear of personal information being leakedHe, however, only 11% have done so. In fact, in the last 12 months, only 3 out of 10 users have abandoned some social network, rate very similar to 2020.
In any case, a third of those interviewed declare that they leave some network, to go to another, the most abandoned Snapchat.
– Ramon Montanera (@ramonmontanera)
Top rated social networks
In addition to being the favorite of the Spanish, Waze and Whatsapp are the best valued, followed by Youtube and Tik Tok. Tinder, Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter occupy the lowest positions in the ranking.
48% of users follow a commercial brand on social networks
This year there has also been a decrease in the following of brands on social networks: 48% of users have declared following a commercial brand on social networks, vs. 52% who were a fan of a brand on networks in 2020. It has also fallen the frequency of this type of usesince while in 2020 49% of users declared that they use networks a lot or quite a bit to follow brands, in 2021 this average dropped to 37%.
“Brand following has gone from 81% in 2018 to 48% in 2021.”
EYE, be careful, that the public is disconnecting from the brands in
– Rubén Bastón (@rubenbaston)
As for the most followed sectors, entertainment, culture and media (44%) continues to be the favorite among Spanish Internet users, followed by sports (36%), travel, transport and tourism (34%), technology and communication (30%) as well as food and beverages (30%), and beauty and hygiene (30%). Although some sectors decreased compared to the previous year, all of them maintain a similar ranking.
In any case, a 29% of those surveyed said that brands that have a profile on social networks inspire more confidence, while 65% of them affirm that the fact that a brand has or does not have a profile on social networks does not alter their level of trust. Only 6% think that brands that do not have a profile on social networks inspire less confidence.
According to users, the media should publish at least once a day (66%), a percentage that is reduced compared to the previous edition of the study (72%). This percentage drops to 49% among users who consider that they should publish them at least once a day, and regarding brands, only 35% of users consider that they need to publish daily.
45% of Spaniards recognize that Social Networks have influenced them when buying
Almost half of those surveyed declare to investigate and consult these platforms before making a purchase, especially Instagram, this year for the first time TikTok appears on this list, relegating consultation share to networks such as Facebook or YouTube when it comes to considering a purchase. However, social networks are not only a channel for passive consultation, over 37% of consumers say they leave comments on posts and exposes their doubts and queries in this way, rising to almost 6 out of 10 if we talk about Generation Z.
Although the potential for capturing networks is not only focused on consulting information, for 45% social networks have influenced the final purchase of products
You can download the full study
Learn about the evolution of social networks in Spain
Year after year we have learned in detail the reality of the social media sector in Spain through the Study of Social Networks. If you want to compare the change over time of this great universe of posts, tweets and many “likes” you can consult the latest reports:
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