Video calling and video chat

Almost a fifth of American adults ­ 19% ­ have tried video calling either online or via their cell phones.

These figures translate into 23% of Internet users and 7% of cell phone owners who have participated in video calls, chats, or teleconferences.

• Video calling online is especially appealing to upscale users. A third of Internet users (34%) living in households earning $75,000 or above have participated in such calls or chats, compared with 18% of those earning less than $75,000.
• Younger Internet users are considerably more likely to conduct video calls. Some 29% of the Internet users ages 18-29 have participated in video calls or chats or teleconferences, compared with 15% of Internet users age 65 or older.
• Online men are more likely than online women to participate in online video calls (26% vs. 20%).
• Urban Internet users (27%) and suburban users (23%) are significantly more likely than rural users (12%) to have participated in video calls, chats, or teleconferences.
• On a typical day, 4% of Internet users participate in video calls, chats, or teleconferences. That is a uptick from the Project's April 2009 survey, when 2% of Internet users reported participating in online video exchanges.
• Cellphone-owning blacks are more likely than whites to participate in video calls, chats, or teleconferences (10% vs. 5%).
• Those in upper-income households are more likely than others to participate in video calls (10% of cell owners in households earning over $75,000 participate in such calls, compared to 6% who live in households earning less than $75,000.
• Cellphone owners under age 50 are more likely than those over age 50 to have participated in such video calls (8% vs. 4%).