Younger mothers are more likely to be cultivating wider networks on Twitter and Instagram than their older counterparts, and working mothers are similarly more likely to be doing so than stay-at-home mothers, according to [download page] a study from SheKnows. Millennial mothers (born between 1978 and 1995) self-reported about 100 more Twitter followers (237 vs. 139) on average than Gen X mothers (born between 1966 and 1977), and about 4 times as many Instagram followers (205 vs. 52). Working mothers, meanwhile, boast more than twice as many Twitter followers as their stay-at-home counterparts (245 vs. 101) and about 4 times as many Instagram followers (202 vs. 50).
In fact, both Millennial and working mothers reported having almost as many Twitter followers as Facebook friends.
While Instagram and Twitter may be drawing the attention of these two groups, Pinterest appears to be less of a focus. On average, Millennial mothers reported having 46 followers on Pinterest, compared to 91 for Gen X mothers. That may simply be a reflection of the demographics of Pinterest users, who tend to skew a bit older.
Meanwhile, Millennial mothers are more open to following brands across social media platforms than Gen X mothers. Millennial mothers follow 22.5 brands on average, per the research, compared to 16.2 on average for all women aged 18-65 included in the survey, and a relatively few 13.7 for Gen X mothers. Interestingly, while Millennial women and Millennial mothers have similar reasons for following brands, the latter are more likely to consider how the brands make them feel when deciding whether to follow them.
Also of note, the younger generation seems to be more averse to targeted advertising: 87% of Millennial women overall claim to be “creeped out” that ads can track them online, compared to 84% of women overall and 76% of Gen X women.
About the Data: The study took the form on an online survey fielded between July 31 and August 15, 2013. The overall sample was comprised of 1,007 women between the ages of 18 and 65, living in the United States. All qualifying respondents indicated prior usage of an electronic device and having consumed digital content, as well as not currently working in a sensitive industry.
From the 1,007 women, 280 women born between 1966 and 1977 were classified as Generation X. Of those, a subset of 186 were identified as mothers of children under the age of 18 living at home.
Three hundred and thirty women born between 1978 and 1995 were classified as Millennials. Of those, a subset of 152 were identified mothers of children under the age of 18 living at home.
Additionally, 222 women with at least one child and a full-time or part-time job were classified as Working Moms, while 147 women with at least one child who were not employed at the time of this survey were classified as Stay-at-Home Moms.
All bases, samples and sub-sets have been weighted to be representative of women in the general population.
