Most active LinkedIn users spend at least three hours per week on the platform, have free accounts, and allow their connections to see the rest of their network, according to a recent report from Wayne Breitbarth/Power Formula.
The 2014 edition of Breitbarth's annual LinkedIn overview was based on data from a survey of 896 active users of the service from around the world. Most respondents (78.8%) have been members of the social network for 2+ years, though 7.4% only joined in the past 12 months.
Below, key findings:
Free vs. Paid
- 81% of users surveyed say they have a free LinkedIn account.
- 18% have paid accounts.
- 1% are not sure.
Visibility
- 64.3% of respondents say they allow their connections to see the rest of the people in their network.
- 12.8% say they do not.
- 22.9% are not sure.
Number of Connections
- The largest percentage of respondents (25.2%) have between 500-999 connections on LinkedIn.
- 6.8% have fewer than 50 connections.
- 1.5% have more than 10,000 connections.
Hours Spent
- 43.2% of respondents spend between 0-2 hours per week on the service on average.
- 26.3% spend between 3-4 hours per week on average.
- 30.6% spend 5+ hours on LinkedIn per week on average.
Features
- 75.7% of respondents say they find the "Who's Viewed Your Profile" feature on LinkedIn helpful.
- 63.3% find the "People You May Know" feature helpful.
- 50.2% like the ability to directly message first-level connections.
Usefulness
- 36.2% of respondents say LinkedIn has been extremely important in helping them grow their network, develop their business, and/or find employment.
- Only 1.5% say the network has not been important at all in helping with these efforts.
For more findings from the survey, check out the following infographic:
About the research: The report was based on data from a survey of 896 active users of the service from around the world.
