Survey predicts Google+ will pass Twitter, LinkedIn in 2012

Just a month after the launch of Google+, the social site has gained immense momentum. A survey from YouGov shows that Google+ is likely to be the second most popular U.S. social network by the mid-2012.

Plus Skyrocketing to Second Place

Google Plus Social ProjectYouGov used a sample of 1,003 U.S. residents that comprised a representative selection of U.S. Internet users. They were interviewed from July 29 to August 2, just over a month after Google+ first launched. In that month, Google+ had already scaled up to an estimated 20 million-plus users. In the U.S., Google has already achieved 13 percent market penetration.

An additional 16 million users are expected to register in the U.S. within the next 12 months. That would put Google+ at an estimated 22 percent market penetration, compared to a current penetration of 19 percent for LinkedIn, 18 percent for Twitter, and 14 percent for MySpace. Additionally, while LinkedIn and Twitter are expected to grow to 20 percent market penetration in the next 12 months, both MySpace and Facebook are expected to decline in the same time-frame.

Google+ users are highly active, too. According to the YouGov study, Google+ has the second most active user-base, with 45 percent of users checking the site at least daily. That figure beats out Twitter's 42 percent, and doesn't fall too shy of Facebook's 62 percent. As Google+ gains reach, it's likely the frequency of use will also pick up.

Other Social Stats on Google+

The YouGov study didn't stop at popularity. It also gave us some interesting demographic figures for Plus users. The audience is 60 percent male, with 43 percent of members being between the ages of 18 and 29. Additionally, 59 percent have a college degree and 48 percent are single.

Michael Nardis, Head of YouGov Investment Products, states that "Google+ is tracing a path similar to Facebook’s initial growth – building excitement in a core group of early adopters. For Facebook, it was college students. For Google+, that path is young, educated, single men who are heavy internet users." Nardis also states that Google+ is set to be a threat to both Twitter and Facebook.


/Search Engine Watch/