Twitter Stats Reveal Few Americans Use Twitter, Although Most Know It (STUDY)

A new report by Edison Research on Twitter usage in the United States indicates that although awareness of Twitter has skyrocketed since 2008, only a minority of Americans (7 percent) actually use the social media site.

Eight-seven percent of Americans are aware of Twitter--which is higher than the percentage of the population with access to the internet (85 percent), up from just 5 percent of Americans in 2008. Facebook's awareness is only slightly higher than Twitter's, at 88 percent.

Conducted in February 2010, the Edison Research study polled 1,753 Americans ages 12 and up and presented three years of tracking data regarding Twitter awareness and usage.

Only 7 percent of Americans are actually using Twitter and Facebook remains the social network of choice. The report notes, "Despite equal awareness, Twitter trails Facebook significantly in usage: 7% of Americans (17 million persons) actively use Twitter, while 41% maintain a profile page on Facebook."

Additionally, mobile devices account for more Twitter updates than other social media updates.

Here are some more Twitter stats from the Edison research:

-African Americans account for 25% of the Twitter population, which is double the percentage of African Americans living in the U.S.

-Twitter users are more likely to live in higher income households.

-Four in ten Twitter users (39%) own three or more computers.

-Twitter users are 3x more likely to follow brands on Twitter than on other social networking sites.

-Less than half of regular Twitter users post updates (47%), although 70% of these same Twitter users do post status updates to other social networking services like Facebook.

See Twitter's own statistics about its users--revealed at the recent Chirp conference--on the Huffington Post here.