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  Americans are much more likely to see posts related to Black Lives Matter than they are to personally post or share their views on the subject. And when they do choose to post, they are more likely show their support:

  • 24% of social media users say they have ever posted or shared things in support of Black Lives Matter;
  • 10% of users say they have done so in opposition.

  Black social media users stand out for showing their support: 52% say they have posted or shared things in support of Black Lives Matter on social media. That share drops to about one-in-five each among Hispanic, Asian and White users.

  The survey also finds that 7% of Americans overall say they have ever attended a Black Lives Matter protest. And that share rises to 15% among those who are Black.

  Younger Black people are especially likely to be vocal supporters of Black Lives Matter on social media. Some 61% of Black social media users ages 18 to 49 say they have posted or shared things in support of Black Lives Matter. This group also stands out for attending Black Lives Matter protests, with 17% of Black Americans in this age range saying they have been to one.

  Views of social media and the press as tools for bringing attention to police violence against Black people

  Three years since

  But how effective are social media or news organizations for bringing awareness to this issue? Among those who agree that police violence against Black people is a problem in the U.S., social media holds a modest edge:

  • 43% say social media is an extremely or very effective way of bringing attention to this issue;
  • 32% say news organizations are extremely or very effective.

  The degree to which people view social media as an effective tool for spreading awareness varies by race and ethnicity, as well as by political attitudes.

  About half or more Black, Asian and Hispanic adults describe social media as an extremely or very effective way to bring attention to police violence against Black adults, compared with a much smaller share of White adults (35%) who say this.

  And Democrats and Democratic leaners who view police violence as a problem are more likely than their Republican counterparts to say social media is an extremely or very effective way to shed light on police violence against Black people (51% vs. 32%).

  By comparison, views of news organizations' ability to bring attention to these issues do not vary as greatly by race or ethnicity or by political party.

  At the same time, the survey shows the public has complex views of the impact of social media on political engagement more broadly. Many Americans acknowledge how social media can be helpful in raising awareness, saying the following statements describe social media very or somewhat well:

  • 67% say “social media highlights important issues that might not get a lot of attention otherwise”;
  • 67% say “social media helps give a voice to underrepresented groups”;
  • 47% say “social media make it easier to hold powerful people accountable.”

  But larger shares believe these platforms can be a distraction and are ineffective:

  • 82% say “social media distracts people from issues that are truly important”;
  • 76% say “social media makes people think they're making a difference when they really aren't.”

  Value users place on social media for finding like-minded people, sharing political views

  Overall, four-in-ten social media users say these platforms are very or somewhat important to them personally when it comes to finding others who share their views about important issues. Smaller shares place high importance on using social media to get involved with political or social issues (30%) or express their political opinions (27%).

  But the level of importance users place on these sites for their own political engagement has declined over time.

  The share of social media users who describe these sites as very or somewhat important to them for getting involved with issues they care about dropped from 44% in 2020 to 30% today. This decline is also present in views about social media being personally important for expressing their political views or finding like-minded people.

  As was true in previous Center surveys about social media activism, the value users place on social media for their own political engagement varies by race and ethnicity.⁴ About half each among Black, Hispanic and Asian social media users say these sites are important to them for finding others who share their views about important issues, compared with one-third of White users. A similar pattern is present when asked about getting involved with issues or expressing their political beliefs on social media.

  Other key survey findings:

  This survey also asked about five specific activities people may have recently participated in on social media, and it finds that some activities are more common than others. Among U.S. social media users, in the past year:

  • 34% say they have taken part in a group that shares an interest in an issue or cause;
  • 26% have encouraged others to take action on issues that are important to them;
  • 14% have looked for information about rallies or protests happening in their area;
  • 14% have changed their profile picture to show their support for a cause or issues;
  • 12% have used hashtags related to a political or social issue.

  In total, 46% of social media users have done at least one of these activities. Certain groups – particularly those who are Black – are more likely to report recently using social media for these purposes.