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Four of 10 Americans Read Blogs, One-Third of Those Click on Ads

Blogging has entered the US mainstream, with nearly 4 out of 10 Americans having visited a blog, and 8 of 10 now knowing what a blog is, according to a recent Synovate/MarketingDaily study.

Moreover, “8% of Americans currently have their own blog,” said Tom Mularz, SVP at Synovate. “This is surprising given that a few years ago hardly anyone knew what a blog was.”

The Synovate eNation survey was conducted online with 1,000 adults in the US from July 30 to August 1.

The following are key findings from the survey:

• Loyalty to specific blogs is also fairly strong, with 46% of US blog readers saying they visit the same blogs regularly; 54% say they usually surf for new and different ones.
• Awareness and usage of blogs, along with people penning their own, strongly correlates to age, with younger people being much more active:
  • Nearly 90% of those age 25-34 know what a blog is, compared with just 65% of those age 65 and over.
  • Similarly, 78% of those age 18-24 who are aware of blogs say they have visited a blog, compared with only 45% of older Americans.
• More women than men are bloggers, with 20% of American women who have visited blogs having their own, versus 14% of men who have visited blogs.
• As blogs have gained in popularity, the frequency with which they’re read has also increased:
  • The majority of blog readers (39%) view them less than once a month.
  • Some 28% visit them monthly.
  • 15% visit them daily and 5% read them several times a day.
• As blog usage grows, so has their use as marketing tools:
  

   

  • 43% of blog visitors said they had noticed advertisements on blogs.

  

  • That proportion is 61% among those age 18-24.

  

  • Nearly one-third of blog visitors have clicked on an ad while reading a blog.

• Even though consumers are spending more time with blogs, they aren’t necessarily replacing other media: Only 13% of blog readers say they spend less time with other forms of media (newspapers, television, radio) since they’ve started following blogs.
• Asked about the types of information they get from blogs:
  • 65% said they get opinions.
  • 39% get news.
  • 38% get entertainment.
  • About one-third read gossip on blogs.
  • Only 2% use blogs to catch up on news about family and friends.
• The main reason people read blogs:
  • 48% of those surveyed say they read blogs because they are entertaining.
  • 26% read them to learn about specific hobbies or other areas they’re interested in.
  • 15% of blog readers say they do so for news.
  • 11% read blogs mainly for political opinions.
• Among those who said they have never read a blog, the main reason cited was that they’re “just not interested.”