If you have a handful (or a bucket full) of YouTube questions, you’re not alone. YouTube demographics, usage, and statistics are popular search topics these days. How many users does YouTube have? How many videos get watched every month? And how do older consumers use the platform compared to younger buyers? We cover that and a lot more in this article cataloging the latest YouTube demographics, habits, and usage stats.
What’s In This Post on YouTube User Stats?
Lots. We gathered a ton of stats on how each generation – Generation Z, Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers – uses YouTube. We included info on the number of YouTube users who are from each generation and checked out surveys released by Google to identify those differences and even the small nuances in how older people use YouTube compared to younger users. Plus, you can find a nice roundup of general stats on YouTube usage, penetration, and trends.
Pretty compelling stuff.
Oh, and if you’re looking for more general information about the platform, click over to this post on YouTube statistics!
YouTube Audience Demographics
There are between 2.49 billion and 2.7 billion users on YouTube, making it the second most-used social media app in the world. YouTube is probably the most commonly used social media app across demographics. There’s very little variance from age group to age group in the percentage of them who are on the platform.
According to Statista:
- 94% of US internet users 13-14 years old say they’ve watched YouTube (this is a Pew Research stat)
- 77% of US internet users 15 to 35 years old watch YouTube
- 73% of 36 to 45-year-olds watch YouTube
- 70% of 46 to 55-year-olds watch YouTube
- 67% of those 56 and older watch YouTube, and
- 80% of parents say their children under 11 watch YouTube
These numbers (the ones up here ☝🏽) show a consistency in use between generations. By contrast, the preferred platform may change depending on the age and gender of the users. For instance…
- Men between the ages of 25 and 44 prefer Facebook (Digital 2023 Global Overview Report – Slide 185)
- Women of the same age lean more toward Instagram (for 25 to 34-year-old women) and WhatsApp (for women 35 to 44 years old).
- Teens 13-14 years old lean more toward YouTube followed by TikTok and Snapchat.
- Teens 15-17 years old lean more toward YouTube followed by Instagram and TikTok.
Point is: most people who are online are also on YouTube, so you can rest assured the consumer you’re targeting is on the platform.
YouTube Usage Habits for the Over 60 Consumer
67% of Baby Boomers, ages 60 – 77, watch YouTube.
Many marketers seem sort of bent on getting Gen Z eyes on their products, but brands can reap huge rewards by targeting the mega-spending generation known as Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers should be a BIG DEAL to brands and marketers. According to Think with Google, they spend at least six hours a day online and own an average of five devices.
Be honest. Internet users over the age of 60 are probably the folks you expect would spend the LEAST amount of time watching YouTube videos. But in reality, the cool kids who make up the 55-and-up crowd account for 17.8 percent of YouTube viewers – that’s like 445 million folks.
HOW THIS COHORT CONSUMES YOUTUBE CONTENT
With an estimated 10,000 Baby Boomers retiring every day, you would think this generation had oodles of time on their hands. But, according to a survey run by Google of YouTube statistics, one of the big reasons more seasoned consumers love YouTube is because it helps them save time.
YouTube is a GREAT resource for getting a better understanding of a product. It’s sort of a mid-funnel buying guide they can easily use without having to go to a store, spend hours on with tech support, or call in a younger (know-it-all) relative. According to HubSpot, 26 percent of these sophisticated shoppers say they discover new products most often on YouTube.
That said… mature consumers are far more likely to respond positively to data-driven product reviews (think “here is the product, here are the specs”) than opinion-based product reviews of another YouTuber’s experience with a brand or product (such as “My boyfriend has one of these and it works really great! Blah! Blah! Blah!).
Video content serves as a vehicle by which elder consumers can learn new skills – something a lot of Boomers are really into post- empty nest. So, whether they want to learn how to play guitar, pick up a new language, or even become a social media influencer themselves, they’re turning to video to learn how to do it.
WHY BABY BOOMERS HEAD TO YOUTUBE :
- How-to videos for learning new skills
- Entertainment roundups to keep up-to-date
- Online tutorials that can save them time
- Getting up on new music
- Product demonstrations and walk-throughs (not necessarily reviews)
YouTube Usage Habits for Gen X Consumers Ages 45-59.
7 in 10 Generation Xers watch YouTube.
Born into a world that drastically changed around them as they grew up, Gen X is probably the most adaptable generation. When the older Gen Xers were the youngest people in the world, having a TV in the home was juuuuust becoming the norm.
Now, programmed TV is becoming obsolete as people spend more of their time consuming content online rather than watching live TV (and TV manufacturers were smart to make televisions essentially 50-inch monitors for watching ESPN+ and YouTube – that definitely kept electronics companies in the game).
HOW GEN XERS CONSUME YOUTUBE CONTENT
Gen Xers spend A LOT of time watching video, and especially old school content – stuff from their teen and adolescent years. In fact, 75 percent of Gen Xers use YouTube to get access to nostalgic videos.
While this generation is all about the nostalgia effect, they’re still spending more time watching video content on their computers and smartphones than they are on traditional TV. Gen Xers account for over 1.5 billion views on YouTube every day, so the incentive to engage with them is definitely there.
Gen Xers aren’t just spending time on YouTube though. While it is an important platform, Gen Xers share content – especially video – more readily to Facebook than any other site. I know. I know – doesn’t fall into the category of YouTube statistics. But…
Their propensity to want to share to Facebook is mirrored on YouTube and Instagram, showing that to reach this generation (well, any generation really), you’ll need to develop a multichannel approach.
WHY GEN XERS HEAD TO YOUTUBE :
- Nostalgia-driven video to take them back to their childhood
- DIY videos they can follow along
- Current news and trending events
YouTube Usage Habits for Millennial Consumers Ages 28 to 44
3 in 4 Millennials watch YouTube.
Millennials – YouTubers who in 2024 will range in age from their late 20s to their early 40s – make up one-third of YouTube’s audience. YouTube reaches more 18 to 34-year-olds than any of the TV networks, and that’s just on mobile devices; we’re not including browser views.
Despite Instagram and Facebook essentially becoming video platforms over the past few years, YouTube is still the video platform of choice for most Millennials. And as YouTube’s been leaning into building out more social features since the pandemic, the platform is largely seen as a social network; it’s become a place where people can connect with one another through video since you can now follow your favorite commenters, it’s a hub for synchronized activities, and it’s the perfect spot for community-focused activites. Much of that synchronicity and community is driven by the 18 to 40 crowd.
HOW MILLENNIALS CONSUME YOUTUBE CONTENT
Millennials are avid YouTubers. Fifty-four percent of Millennials check YouTube every single day. While about 1 in 10 Millennials use ad blockers, and more than half only watch YouTube ads to the Skip Ad point, 29 percent of Millennials actually watch YouTube ads all the way through. And don’t forget our earlier stat about the 90 percent of people using YouTube for product discovery.
Sponsored Content and Creators: Contrary to popular beliefs about how Millennials relate to brands, many Millennials (especially Millennial women and moms) want and expect to see sponsored content (we talked about that a bit in the What Makes Them Buy post), AS LONG AS it’s the right ad targeting the right person on the right platform at the right time. And many Millennials are actually kinda sweet on well-targeted video ads.
Entertainment: Thirty-seven percent of Millennials admit to binge-watching a block of something every day, and upwards of 65 percent of Millennials binge-watch at least once a week. So, it’s good news to marketers that 62 percent of Millennials actually take action after seeing an ad.
Social Commerce: According to Klarna, 49 percent of Millennial YouTubers have used the platform to purchase a product.
MILLENNIALS ARE AVID CONTENT CREATORS AS WELL
I was trying to scratch an itch – and that itch was just my suspicion that Millennials are probably the most active content creators on YouTube. I didn’t find any specific data to support me. But I did find a few breadcrumbs that will push me to keep searching.
There are roughly 303 million content creators in the world and the average age of a content creator is 40 years old. Millennials represent 42 percent of creators globally. And roughly one in four of those creators say they create video content. That’s according to a report published by Adobe called “Creators in the Creator Economy.” In fact, the 2023 YouTube Culture and Trends Report, says that 40 percent of 18 to 44-year-olds identify as video creators.
WHY MILLENNIALS HEAD TO YOUTUBE :
- News and human interest stories to keep up to date
- Unboxing and product review videos to influence their spending
- Quick and fun entertainment content
- Fan content
YouTube Usage Habits for Gen Z Consumers Ages 12 to 27
77% of Gen Zers, ages 12 to 27, watch YouTube.
Enter Gen Z, the largest and most diverse generation in history. These social media natives are growing up in a world of selfies, influencers, and hashtags. They know how to navigate the online world better than anyone else, and their video consumption habits reflect this. Growing up, YouTube had more influence over this generation than big names like Oreo, McDonald’s, and even Lego.
YouTube is their most used platform, closely followed by Instagram or TikTok, depending on their age – all three video-first platforms. So, it’s safe to say that if you’re targeting Gen Z, you need to be targeting them through video. On YouTube.
HOW GEN ZERS CONSUME YOUTUBE CONTENT
Fifty-nine percent of Gen Z video consumption is through social media, where they spend twice as much time as they do on streaming services, and five times as much as on traditional media. What are they watching, though?
Entertainment – While YouTube isn’t the top music streaming platform (Spotify holds this spot), it’s a key channel for new music discovery. If your mind went to TikTok, you’re onto something! TikTok is a key player when it comes to introducing new music to the masses, but YouTube has TikTok beat with the under-25 crowd: 26 percent of this group rely on TikTok for new music discovery while 40 percent name YouTube as their go-to.
When it comes to streaming – listening to your favorite music – Spotify and Apple Music are the top music streaming services, with 60 percent and 26 percent (respectively) of teens using those platforms as their go-to.
Setting the Mood – One of the HUGE shifts that came out of the pandemic was repurposing YouTube as the app you can use to find the content that brings you joy. It’s not a typical social feed driven by what’s trending, but YouTube gives its users the chance to heavily curate the kind of content they watch.
- 83 percent of Gen Z YouTubers have used YouTube to watch soothing content that helps them relax and cope.
- 90 percent say they have watched a video that helped them feel like they were in a different place.
- 53 percent of Gen Zers say like online horror content
Content Creators: This is a pretty big one – six in 10 Gen Z YouTubers say they tune into YouTube to keep up with content from their favorite YouTube creators. And we’re not always talking about your typical social media influencers. We’re talking about a pretty wide range of content creators.
- 60 percent of YouTubers say they’re open to watching content from creators who use AI to generate their content.
- 52 percent are already watching content created by virtual YouTubers
- 47 percent of Gen Zers have watched videos made by fans of a topic or person
The data is pointing to younger YouTubers creating more immersive and all-encompassing experiences for themselves on the platform, heading to YouTube for the freedom to create and to find just about anything, and find it in a variety of different content formats.
WHY GEN Z HEADS TO YOUTUBE:
- For the sheer joy and ease of it
- Humor – They love videos that make them laugh
- Following content creators
- Setting the mood
- New music discovery
- Vibing with their community (often through fandom)
- Short and snappy content to compete with their busy lives and busy minds
- Unboxing and product reviews to keep on top of trends
That’s It for Our Roundup of YouTube User Statistics!
When you’re talking about online video, you should always begin with the powerhouse – YouTube. YouTube is packed with features that can really help you elevate your video marketing. YouTube has blazed a trail that other platforms have tried to follow, but it remains distinguished for its powerful recommendation engine and serves as a go-to platform for community, entertainment, product discovery, vibing out, and digging into moments.
If you happen to be considering YouTube influencer marketing to amplify your strategy this year, reach out! We’re a BOSS YouTube influencer marketing agency.
About the Author
Sorilbran Stone | Content Strategist
I serve as the resident content strategist and the official Head of Content Marketing at The Shelf. Marketing is my happy place. I’m as happy looking at analytics as I am actually creating a thing. I focus a lot on dreaming up and implementing the best ways to create, publish, and distribute content that will builds our brand and gets our readers to do a thing
