2022 State of Social Media in the Public Sector

Our third-annual State of Social Media is live.

The CivicPlus® State of Social Media in the Public Sector report is an annual survey and report that provides an inside look at how public agencies and school districts are leveraging social media to reach their communities and accomplish their goals. This year, we surveyed over 650 government communicators to learn more about their struggles and strategies, and now we’re sharing the results with you.

With most restrictions lifted, and fewer emergency announcements, 2022 has been a very different year for government communicators than 2021. Keeping up with changing concerns and emerging platforms has kept communicators on their toes. You’ll have to download the full report for all the juicy data and insights, but here are three takeaways from the report:

1. Facebook is still the favorite, but new platforms are gaining momentum.

• Facebook is still the number one platform used for the third year in a row. Growth has stalled for Facebook’s user base overall, but it’s still the number one platform worldwide and with government communicators.
• LinkedIn usage is up again among respondents, back from a drop in use in 2021. This is likely related to recent hiring trends – slower in 2021 and full-speed ahead in 2022. LinkedIn is the place to be when you’re looking to hire and showcase workplace values and culture.
• TikTok use has increased among public agencies and school districts, even with lingering concerns over privacy and regulatory issues. This trend should continue into next year – many communicators said they plan to launch a TikTok account next. Read the full report to learn more about who can best be reached on TikTok and what content performs well.

2. Managing controversial topics is a big concern.

• Over half of respondents cited “managing controversial topics” as one of the top challenges of being on social media. And it’s no wonder, with topics like COVID-19, critical race theory, and gun violence looming large in the public consciousness. Learning how to separate real trolls from critics is imperative for government communicators, who are bound by the First Amendment to honor free speech on social media.
• Only a few respondents said their agency or school district did not use social media. Of these, the number one reason for not using it was concern about managing controversial topics – 72.7% in 2022. Only 16.7% said it was a barrier to adoption in 2021.

3. Social media records requests are up.

• A slightly higher percentage of respondents said they were not archiving social media content in any way. This leaves agencies and school districts vulnerable to lawsuits when they’re not able to fulfill records requests.
• 17.5% of respondents had more than eight records requests for social media content in the past two years. That’s up more than 10% from 2021. This underscores the importance of social media archiving and records request management.

Download your free copy

These are only a few examples of what’s available in the 2022 State of Social Media report. It’s a great tool to measure your own practices against your peers and see where you’re shining and where you could improve. The full report can be found here, so check it out for your free download.

Our compliance expert Marcus Smith also talked through some of the data and analysis in our August 23 webinar, so be sure to watch the recording here.

More resources

Want more guidance on best practices for social media best practices for government communicators? Check out our other resources and blogs:

• Successful social media strategies for education
• 5 reasons your agency should get verified on Facebook
• Accessibility tips for social media