BonusFinder.com wanted to discover whether people would abandon social media platforms if they were forced to pay. The research found huge geographical and generational differences, with some willing to pay extensive sums to fund their online habits and some saying that they would completely switch off if they would have to pay.
Charging for Social Media Could Risk Losing Nearly 40% of Users Nationwide
The research found that nearly two in five Americans (38.2%) would not pay to use social media.
States in the South and Midwest were revealed to be the least eager to pay, with more than three in five of respondents from Iowa (66.7%), Mississippi (64.3%), Ohio (61.3%) and Kentucky (60.4%) saying they would refuse to pay.
The top 10 states that would not pay to use social media was completed by Louisiana (59.5%), Oklahoma (59%), Michigan (58.7%), Missouri (56.5%), Tennessee (56%) and Florida (55.6%).
Overall, more than half of respondents from 17 states said that they would not pay, including North Carolina, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Minnesota, Virginia and Georgia.
Five states were divided from the middle, with half (50%) of respondents from Alabama, Hawaii, Oregon, West Virginia and Wisconsin saying that they would not pay anything.
States Who Love Social Media Most: Who Would Be Willing to Pay Top Dollar?
The research found that there are big geographical and generational differences on how much Americans would spend to use social media.
New Yorkers were revealed to be the biggest social media addicts with the respondents from the state willing to spend an average of $1,143.6 a year to support their online habits.
Washington placed second, with residents saying that they would pay an average of $64.5 – $774 a year – to use social media, while Indiana followed closely behind with residents of the Hoosier State saying they would pay $62.6 monthly, which would rack up to $751.2 annually.
California and Illinois placed fourth and fifth, with respondents saying they would pay an average of $57.1 and $56.5, respectively, to use social media each month.
The average amount of money that Americans would be willing to spend in a month to use social media was revealed to be $41.30 – an average of nearly $500 in a year.
Which Generation Is Most Obsessed by Social Media?
When it comes to generational differences, a majority of Gen Z (83.6%) and Millennials (85.5%) would be willing to pay for social media.
Millennials would be willing to spend the most with an average of $904.8 per year, while their Gen Z counterparts would only be willing to pay an average of $630.
However, introducing a subscription fee could see the older generations move away from social media with nearly half (48.1%) of Gen X saying they wouldn’t pay for it. The percentage is even higher among the two oldest generations with more than two in three (67.5%) unwilling to pay.
Methodology
BonusFinder.com surveyed 3,015 people from the US about their social media behavior, including how they use it and how much they would be willing to pay for its use.
The respondents were split by age, gender, region, state and city, and only people over the age of 18 were allowed to participate.
