Google has released fascinating research into UK YouTube users for the very first time.
In an attempt to disprove the stereotype that YouTube users are young, antisocial and not prepared to pay for their content, Google commissioned Ipsos MediaCT to survey 1,583 people in the UK. 74% of the study group were YouTube users and were spread across the 13-64 age group.
The results show that 39% watch YouTube content with their partner and 48% of users are connected to more than 100 people on social networks, shifting the perception of an avid YouTube fan as someone who watches content alone. YouTube users are also twice as likely to buy movies and book digitally, than those who don’t use YouTube.
89% of YouTube users use the internet everyday, while the most popular content is music followed by comedy and DIY how-to videos. YouTube users watch less TV that non-YouTube users and view TV as a secondary medium, with 62% saying that they have the TV on in the background while they focus on other devices such as tablets. The study also shows that the most frequent action after watching an ad on YouTube is to search for information about the brand online.
Derek Scobie, the Head of YouTube Brand Propositions for Northern and Central Europe, said some older marketers were not aware that YouTube is “more than a viewing platform” where users “engage directly with the content and creators”.