One voice, many inflections Communicating about health in the digital age

U.S.: 87% own a cell phone

U.S.: 81% use the internet

U.S.: Clinicians are central, but still a node on an information network

U.S.: Different sources for different information

U.S.: Dr. Social joins Dr. Google 35% of U.S. adults say they have gone online specifically to try to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have. Search is still the starting point for 8 in 10 U.S. internet users looking for health information (not WebMD, Wikipedia, or Facebook, for example). Half of health searches are conducted on behalf of someone else. 1 in 4 U.S. internet users have, in the last 12 months, read or watched someone else’s experience about health or medical issues (such as on a blog). 16% of U.S. internet users have, in the last 12 months, gone online to find others who might share the same health concerns.

Worldwide: 86% Own Cell Phones Based on median % across 12 nations where 2012, 2011, 2010, 2007 and 2002 data are available. % Own a cell phone

Worldwide: 54% Use Internet Based on median % across 14 nations where 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2007 data are available. % Use internet

Use of Social Networking Sites *Respondents who do not use the internet. Based on total sample. “Don’t know/Refused” not shown.

Social Networking Usage *Based on total sample. **Based on those who use social networking sites. Pakistan not shown due to sample size. % Saying they use social networking sites* Do you ever use social networking sites to share your views about…** Music & moviesCommunity issuesSportsPoliticsReligion %%% U.S Britain France Germany Spain Italy Greece Poland Czech Rep Russia Turkey Egypt Jordan Lebanon Tunisia Pakistan3-- China India Japan Brazil Mexico MEDIAN

SNS Use by Education % Use social networking No college degreeCollege degreeGap % U.S Poland Italy Greece France Spain Czech Rep Britain Russia Egypt Turkey Lebanon Tunisia Jordan China India Japan

Young Much More Likely to Use Social Networking % That use social networking (based on total) Oldest-youngest gap %% U.S Italy Poland Britain Greece Spain France Czech Rep Germany Russia Lebanon Turkey Tunisia Egypt Jordan Pakistan Japan China India Mexico Brazil

SNS: Sharing Views on Music and Movies Most Popular Based on those who use social networking sites. Median % across 20 countries. Pakistan not included in calculation of median due to sample size. Do you ever use social networking sites to share your views about…?

Arab Publics Share Views about Politics, Community, Religion *Based on total sample. **Based on those who use social networking sites. Pakistan not included in calculation of median due to sample size. Do you ever use social networking sites to share your views about…** % Saying they use social networking sites*Politics Community issuesReligion %% Lebanon Tunisia Egypt Jordan nation median

Cell Phone Usage *Based on those who own a cell phone. % Saying they own a cell phone On your cell phone, do you regularly…* Make calls Send text messages Take pictures/ video Use the internet %%% U.S Britain France Germany Spain Italy Greece Poland Czech Rep Russia Turkey Egypt Jordan Lebanon Tunisia Pakistan China India Japan Brazil Mexico MEDIAN

Smart Phone Users Based on those who own a cell phone and regularly use the internet on their phone. Pakistan not shown due to sample size. On your cell phone, do you regularly… Access SNSGet info related to jobGet consumer infoGet political news %% U.S Britain France Germany Spain Italy Greece Poland Czech Rep Russia Turkey Egypt Jordan Lebanon Tunisia China India Japan Brazil Mexico MEDIAN644643

Smart Phones More Common Among Young People Based on those who own a cell phone. On your cell phone, do you regularly use the internet? Oldest-youngest gap %% U.S Britain France Spain Italy Poland Germany Greece Czech Rep Russia Turkey Tunisia Lebanon Egypt Pakistan710-7 Jordan China Japan India Mexico Brazil

Thank you! Susannah Fox Pew Research Reports, data sets: pewinternet.org Blog: susannahfox.com