2012 Census of Facebook Users in Malaysia_Dec2012

2012 Census Facebook Users in Malaysia

December 2012

A description of the population of Facebook users in Malaysia, based on characteristics and interests that would be most relevant to political analysts

Facebook Users in Malaysia, Dec 2012

© 2012 by Politweet Enterprise 1

Executive Summary

This document describes the population of Facebook users in Malaysia based on public

information collected from Facebook. The goal is to provide a point of reference for social

media marketing and a report on Malaysian interest in politics.

Personal characteristics and interests in topics such as Pakatan Rakyat (PR), Barisan Nasional

(BN), coalition leaders, Bersih, 1Malaysia and both mainstream media (MSM) and online

alternative media publications were measured by age group and gender.

Users interested in a topic are considered the fan-base for that topic. Research focused on

potential voters (users aged 21 years and above).

Findings

Malaysia has a total population of 13.5 million Facebook users. The population is male-

dominant - 53% are male and 47% are female.

Out of the total population, 9 million are potential voters – 54% are male and 46% are female.

Results of the analysis show that men are more interested in politics than women, but the

overall population has little interest in politics. Only 8.8% of total potential voters expressed

interest in PR and BN parties.

The research drew attention to a possible relationship between the male-female ratios of each

topic’s fan-base:

Female bias was present in the fan-base for Malay-language MSM, Chinese-language

MSM.

Female bias was strongest in the fan-base for 1Malaysia.

Male bias was present in the fan-base for English-language MSM and Barisan Nasional

parties.

Male bias was strongest in the fan-base for Pakatan Rakyat parties, Bersih and online

alternative media.

For female-dominated topics, there is 1Malaysia and Malay-language MSM. The 1Malaysia brand

is associated with BN and Malay-language MSM tends to give more coverage to BN parties.

For male-dominated topics, there is PR, Bersih and online alternative media. Bersih is a coalition

of non-governmental organisations (NGO) seeking electoral reform. Bersih is strongly

supported by PR. Online alternative media tends to give more coverage to PR parties compared

to mainstream media.

PR’s fan-base is 1.5 times larger than BN’s fan-base. However the gap between BN and PR is

small when it comes to women and PR’s fan-base is more male dominant compared to BN. This

means that BN can overtake PR when it comes to potential women voters.



Conclusion

Population growth in November showed that both BN and PR’s fan-base were becoming less

male-dominant. However BN started with a more favourable position in terms of gender

balance.

Both 1Malaysia and Malay-language MSM have a female-dominant fan-base, which is a good

market for BN to draw users from.

PR does not have a female-dominant source to draw from. Bersih and online alternative media

are too male-dominant. The main source left to draw from are women who currently do not

show an interest in politics, which is a challenge faced by both coalitions.

This places BN in a better position than PR to increase its share of interest from potential

women voters.



Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4

Key points ............................................................................................................................................ 6

National Demographics........................................................................................................................... 9

Key points ............................................................................................................................................ 9

Age and gender ................................................................................................................................. 10

Potential voters ................................................................................................................................. 12

Relationship status ............................................................................................................................ 14

Residents in Klang Valley .................................................................................................................. 16

Other characteristics ......................................................................................................................... 17

Comparison with the National Census .............................................................................................. 17

Malaysian interest in politics ................................................................................................................ 18

Key points .......................................................................................................................................... 18

General interest in politics ................................................................................................................ 20

Interest in Barisan Nasional (BN) ...................................................................................................... 21

Interest in Pakatan Rakyat (PR)......................................................................................................... 24

Comparison of Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) ....................................................... 27

Interest in Prime Minister Najib Razak ............................................................................................. 30

Interest in Federal Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim ..................................................................... 31

Interest in 1Malaysia ......................................................................................................................... 32

Interest in Bersih ............................................................................................................................... 33

Malaysian interest in mainstream and alternative media .................................................................... 34

Key points .......................................................................................................................................... 34

Malay Mainstream Media ................................................................................................................. 35

English Mainstream Media ............................................................................................................... 37

Chinese Mainstream Media .............................................................................................................. 39

Online Alternative Media (mixed language) ..................................................................................... 41



2012 Census: Facebook Users in Malaysia, Dec 2012

Introduction

This document describes the population of Facebook users in Malaysia based on public

information collected from Facebook in November and December 2012. Characteristics and

interests were chosen based on what would be most relevant to political analysts.

Statistics mainly cover users from ages 21-64 years, and were collected during the first week of

November and the first week of December 2012.

Some important notes to remember when interpreting figures:

1. Total population refers to Facebook users aged 13 years and above.

2. Potential voters refer to Facebook users aged 21 years and above.

3. Youth refers to Facebook users aged 13 – 20 years.

4. The male-female (m/f) ratio is the number of males per 100 females in the population.

a. A male ratio above 100 means there are more males than females

b. A male ratio below 100 means there are more females than males

c. A reduction in the ratio means the proportion of females has increased

d. An increase in the ratio means the proportion of males has increased

e. For example, ‘an m/f ratio of 242:100’ means there are 242 males per 100

females.

5. Gender breakdown figures do not add up to the total. This is because not all Facebook

users state their gender, and may also be due to rounding errors by Facebook when

dealing with specific age groups.

6. Figures provided by Facebook are estimates, with a margin of error between +/- 0.01% -

0.1%.

7. Facebook users residing in Malaysia are not necessarily Malaysian citizens.

8. Interest in a topic is equal to the number of Facebook Likes for that topic.

a. To measure interest we used a combination of Facebook Topics (a collection of

interests, activities, groups, pages and job history identified by a common term

determined by Facebook e.g. ‘United Malays National Organization’) and specific

Group and Page names (e.g. Pemuda Umno Malaysia).

b. These are used to collect the number of ‘Likes’ for a given

party/coalition/politician/group.

c. Fan-base refers to the population of users that like a topic.

9. Based on our research to date, Pages that are of type ‘politician’ are generally not

included under related Facebook Topics. For example, ‘Tony Pua’ (MP, PJ Utara, DAP)

likes are not included under ‘DAP’ likes. However because Facebook does not make

Topic details available we cannot determine which politicians, if any, were included.

Intended Audience

This document is intended to be read by social media marketers/analysts, journalists,

academics, politicians, activists and political party campaigners who are familiar with Facebook

and have an interest in population demographics and interests of Facebook users in Malaysia.



About us

Politweet is a non-partisan research firm analysing interactions among Malaysians using social

media. We have been monitoring politics and activism on Twitter since 2009 and expanded to

include Facebook in November 2012.

Our commercial services include data visualisation, data collection, follower census and analysis

services in social media. If you would like to perform a census for your country or organisation

please contact us.

Contact Details

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/politweet

Twitter: @politweetorg

Website: www.politweet.org

Data sources

Data used in preparing this document was sourced from Facebook, the Election Commission of

Malaysia and the Department of Statistics (Malaysia).

List of Acronyms

The following is a list of acronyms used in this document.

Acronym Full name

PR Pakatan Rakyat

BN Barisan Nasional

UMNO United Malays National Organisation

GERAKAN Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (also known as PGRM)

MCA Malaysian Chinese Association

MIC Malaysian Indian Congress

PKR Parti Keadilan Rakyat

DAP Democratic Action Party

PAS Parti Islam Se-Malaysia

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.facebook.com/politweet



Key points

National Demographics

Malaysia has a total population of 13.5 million Facebook users.

The population is male-dominant, with an m/f ratio of 115:100. 53% are male and 47%

are female.

The population is youth-dominant, with 71.76% of users aged 13-30 years. 39.32% of

users are in the age group 21-30, and 32.44% of users below 21.

Based on a projected population size for 2012, 46.01% of Malaysians are on Facebook

(assuming people do not own multiple Facebook accounts)

2.9 million users are single. Men outnumber women with an m/f ratio of 122:100.

1.6 million users are in a relationship. Women outnumber men with an m/f ratio of

92:100.

354 thousand users are engaged. Women outnumber men with an m/f ratio of 88:100.

2.48 million users are married. Women outnumber men with an m/f ratio of 83:100.

Single men outnumber single women in every age group, most significantly between 21-

38 years.

Married women aged between 21-39 years outnumber married men in every age group.

6.5 million users (48%) are located in Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur and Selangor). The

m/f ratio is 117:100. 54% are male and 46% are female.

9 million users are potential voters aged above 21, with an m/f ratio of 119:100. 54%

are male and 46% are female.

Based on estimates from the electoral roll, there are at most 6.3 million voters are on

Facebook.

5.1 million potential voters are using mobile devices.

687 thousand users use Twitter. Women outnumber men with an m/f ratio of 76:100.

Malaysian Interest in Politics

General

Out of the total population of 9 million potential voters, 801 thousand like Pakatan

Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN) combined. This indicates an implicit lack of

interest in political parties.

Interest in politics is male-dominant with an m/f ratio of 175:100. 64% are male and

36% are female.

Women are showing an increased interest in politics.

Barisan Nasional

372 thousand potential voters like BN. 61% are male and 39% are female. The m/f ratio

is 154:100.

UMNO has the most likes within BN with 64.43% of total likes. GERAKAN is 2nd with

33.37% of total likes, MCA with 7.23% of total likes and MIC with 5.23% of total likes.

UMNO attracts the highest percentage of men and women within BN. However it has an

m/f ratio of 200:100, compared to GERAKAN which has an m/f ratio of 102:100.

44 thousand potential voters who like BN use Twitter.



Pakatan Rakyat

573 thousand potential voters like PR. 68% are male and 32% are female. The m/f ratio

is 209:100.

DAP has the most likes within PR with 56.12% of total likes. This is followed by PKR

with 44.32% of total likes and PAS with 32.18% of total likes.

DAP attracts the highest percentage of men and women within PR. Both DAP and PKR

have a male-dominant fan-base with over 70% of each party’s likes coming from men.

46 thousand potential voters who like PR use Twitter.

Comparison of BN and PR

PR has more likes than BN in every age group.

PR has more male and female likes than BN in every age group. However the gap is

narrow for female likes, which means BN can overtake PR in likes from potential women

voters.

BN likes have grown at a faster rate than PR in November, narrowing the gap between

both coalitions.

BN’s highest growth was in men aged 21-30 years, while PR’s highest growth was in

women aged 21-30 years

Other Topics

Prime Minister Najib Razak has 969 thousand likes from potential voters, with an m/f

ratio of 117:100. 54% are male and 46% are female. His fan-base grew less male-

dominant in November.

Federal Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has 357 thousand likes from potential voters,

with an m/f ratio of 204:100. 67% are male and 33% are female. His fan-base grew

more male-dominant in November.

1Malaysia has 1.07 million likes from potential voters, with an m/f ratio of 84:100. 46%

are male and 54% are female. The fan-base is grew more female-dominant in November.

Bersih has 275 thousand likes from potential voters, with an m/f ratio of 242:100. 71%

are male and 29% are female. Female likes have reduced in November and the fan-base

grew more male-dominant.

Malaysian Interest in Mainstream and Alternative Media

For mainstream media, Malay-language media have a much larger user-base compared

to English-language media. The gap between the leading publications in both languages

is large - Berita Harian has 710 thousand likes, while The Star only has 82 thousand

likes.

For online alternative media, Malaysiakini has the largest user-base with 295 thousand

likes. This is inclusive of its English, Malay and Chinese Pages.

Malay-language MSM tends to have a female-dominant fan-base, with an average m/f

ratio of 75:100.

English-language MSM tends to have a male-dominant fan-base, with an average m/f

ratio of 138:100.



Chinese-language MSM tends to have a female-dominant fan-base, with an average m/f

ratio of 94:100.

Alternative media tends to have a male-dominant fan-base, with an average m/f ratio of

259:100.

Alternative media have the most male-dominant fan-base of the topics measured in this

census, with Malaysia Today having an m/f ratio of 311:100 and The Malaysian Insider

having an m/f ratio of 300:100.



National Demographics

The information in this section is about personal characteristics of the national population.

Key points

Malaysia has a total population of 13.5 million Facebook users.

The population is male-dominant, with an m/f ratio of 115:100. 53% are male and 47%

are female.

The population is youth-dominant, with 71.76% of users aged 13-30 years. 39.32% of

users are in the age group 21-30, and 32.44% of users below 21.

Based on a projected population size for 2012, 46.01% of Malaysians are on Facebook

(assuming people do not own multiple Facebook accounts)



92:100.



Single men outnumber single women in every age group, most significantly between 21-

38 years.

Married women aged between 21-39 years outnumber married men in every age group.

6.5 million users (48%) are located in Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur and Selangor). The

m/f ratio is 117:100. 54% are male and 46% are female.

9 million users are potential voters aged above 21, with an m/f ratio of 119:100. 54%

are male and 46% are female.

Based on estimates from the electoral roll, there are at most 6.3 million voters are on

Facebook.

5.1 million potential voters are using mobile devices.

687 thousand users use Twitter. Women outnumber men with an m/f ratio of 76:100.



Age and gender

Malaysia has a total population of 13.5 million Facebook users. There are 7.2 million men and

6.2 million women (gender proportion shown in Figure 1). The m/f ratio is 115:100.

53%

47%

Figure 1. National Population by Gender

Male Female



Figure 2 shows the percentage of men and women in each age group (21 years and above) over

the total population. For example, 23.72% of male users are aged 21-25.

For users aged above 21 years, Facebook is a male-dominated platform. Men outnumber women

in the total population, with an m/f ratio of 115:100. 68.6% of men are aged above 21 years,

while 66% of women are aged above 21 years.

For the total population, Facebook is a youth-dominated platform. 71.76% of users are aged 13

– 30 years. 39.32% of users are in the age group 21-30, while 32.44% of users are below 21.

The total population grew by 1.98% (261 thousand) in November. The male population grew by

1.81% (128 thousand) while the female population grew by 1.94% (118 thousand). The m/f

ratio remained unchanged at 115:100.

Female growth was higher than male growth for age groups 31-40 and 41-50, as shown in

Figure 3.

-23.72

-16.10

-11.09

-6.43

-4.27

-2.67

-1.81

-0.93

-0.39

-1.16

22.93

15.87

10.84

6.49

4.13

2.66

1.66

0.75

0.24

0.57

30 25 20 15 10 5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

21-25

26-30

31-35

36-40

41-45

46-50

51-55

56-60

61-64

65+

Percent

Age group (years)

Figure 2. Population Pyramid for Facebook Users in Malaysia, Dec 2012

% female

% male



Potential voters

Out of the total population, there are 9.1 million users above 21 years old who are potential

voters (proportion shown in Figure 4). There are 4.9 million men and 4.1 million women

(gender proportion shown in Figure 5). The m/f ratio is 119:100.

Potential voters grew by 1.67% (149 thousand) in November. The male population grew by

1.66% (80 thousand) while the female population grew by 1.69% (68 thousand). Potential

voter growth was concentrated in users aged 22, 24, 25 and 32. The m/f ratio remained

unchanged at 119:100.

48920

17900

8100 8120

33760

19100 11600

6020

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

21-30 31-40 41-50 >50

Face

bo

ok

use

rs

Age group (years)

Figure 3. National Population Growth by Gender, Nov-Dec 2012

Male Growth Female Growth

68%

32%

Figure 4. National Population (Voting Age)

Above voting age Below voting age

54%

46%

Figure 5. Potential voters by Gender

Male Female



As of end-June 2012 Malaysia has 13 million registered voters. Figure 6 shows the gap between

registered voters and potential voters on Facebook.

Because of the 5 month gap between datasets, we can only do a rough estimate of the possible

reach for Facebook political campaigning.

This can be done by calculating the intersection between registered voters and Facebook users.

This is the area below the blue line (registered voters) from 21 – 33 years old added with the

area below the red line (Facebook users) from 33 – 64 years old.

In conclusion, there are an estimated total of 6.3 million voters on Facebook.

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

900000

21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63

Use

rs /

Vo

ters

Age (years)

Figure 6. Malaysia: Facebook Users (1st Dec 2012) vs Registered Voters (30th June 2012)

Facebook Users Registered Voters



Relationship status

Facebook has 5 relationship statuses available for users – Single, In a Relationship, Married,

Engaged and Not specified. Out of the total population of 13.5 million:



92:100.



5.94 million users do not specify their relationship status.

Married women aged between 21- 39 years outnumber married men in every age group.

Single men between outnumber single women in every age group, most significantly

between 21-38 years.

The following table lists the breakdown of users by gender and relationship status.

Relationship status

Total % of total population

Male Female m/f ratio

Single 2927940 21.76 1604520 1317480 122:100

In a relationship

1596780 11.87 764080 829100 92:100

Engaged 354020 2.63 165380 187900 88:100

Married 2475980 18.40 1120740 1345500 83:100

Not specified 5938720 44.13 3422520 2473900 138:100

TOTAL 13293440 7077240 6153880

The proportion of the population for each relationship status is shown in Figure 7.

22%

12%

3%

18%

45%

Figure 7. National Population by Relationship Status

Single

In a relationship

Engaged

Married

Not specified



Figure 8 shows the gap between married men and women. Married women outnumber married

men in every age group until the age of 39 years.

Figure 9 shows the gap between single men and women. Single men outnumber single women

in every age group, most significantly between ages 21 – 38 years.

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63

Figure 8. Married Facebook Users in Malaysia by Age, Dec 2012

Married Male Married Female

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63

Figure 9. Single Facebook Users in Malaysia by Age, Dec 2012

Single Male Single Female



Residents in Klang Valley

Out of the total population of 13.5 million users, 6.5 million (48%) are located in Klang Valley

(Kuala Lumpur and Selangor). The m/f ratio is 117:100.

Out of the total potential voter population of 9 million users, 4.8 million (52.33%) are located in

Klang Valley. The m/f ratio is 121:100.

As of June 2012, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor combined have 2.8 million registered voters. It is

likely that a percentage of the Klang Valley users are residing in Klang Valley but registered to

vote in other states. However there is no effective way to measure the amount.

The high percentage of Facebook users in Klang Valley makes evaluating state-level interest in

topics difficult. The number of users obtained in other states is less representative of the state’s

population.

48% 52%

Figure 10. National Population, Place of Residence

Klang Valley Outside Klang Valley

54%

46%

Figure 11. National Population in Klang Valley, by Gender

Male Female

52% 48%

Figure 12. Potential Voters, Place of Residence

Klang Valley Outside Klang Valley

55%

45%

Figure 13. Potential Voters in Klang Valley, by Gender

Male Female



Other characteristics

Out of the total population of 13.5 million users:

687 thousand (5.1%) use Twitter. The m/f ratio is 76:100.

Out of the total potential voter population of 9 million users:

5.1 million (56.59%) use mobile devices. The m/f ratio is 112:100.

330 thousand (3.6%) use Twitter. The m/f ratio is 86:100.

Comparison with the National Census

The Department of Statistics (Malaysia) conducted a Population and Housing Census of Malaysia

in 2010. Using those figures we can estimate the percentage of the population that is on

Facebook. This is assuming people do not own multiple Facebook accounts and population

demographics remained mostly unchanged.

According to the 2010 Census, Malaysia has 28.3 million people. 20 million people are aged 15

years and above.

Assuming a steady growth rate of 1.6% per annum, by 2012 Malaysia would have an estimated

total population of 29.25 million people, with 21.17 million aged 15 and above.

Malaysia has a total population of 13.5 million Facebook users. Based on the estimated total

population for 2012, 46.01% of Malaysians are on Facebook.



Malaysian interest in politics

The information in this section is about political interests of the voting population (users aged

above 21 years old).

Statistics in this section referring to political parties and coalitions do not specifically include

Facebook Pages of politicians. They do include political party Pages, Groups, supporter groups,

party organs and people employed by the party. The only exception is Harakah (PAS’ party

organ) which was not included under Facebook’s Pakatan Rakyat topics.

There is overlap between statistics for individual parties, because people tend to like more than

one party within the same coalition.

Key points

General

Out of the total population of 9 million potential voters, 801 thousand like Pakatan

Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN) combined. This indicates an implicit lack of

interest in political parties.

Interest in politics is male-dominant with an m/f ratio of 175:100. 64% are male and

36% are female.

Women are showing an increased interest in politics.

Barisan Nasional

372 thousand potential voters like BN. 61% are male and 39% are female. The m/f ratio

is 154:100.

UMNO has the most likes within BN with 64.43% of total likes. GERAKAN is 2nd with

33.37% of total likes, MCA with 7.23% of total likes and MIC with 5.23% of total likes.

UMNO attracts the highest percentage of men and women within BN. However it has an

m/f ratio of 200:100, compared to GERAKAN which has an m/f ratio of 102:100.


Pakatan Rakyat

573 thousand potential voters like PR. 68% are male and 32% are female. The m/f ratio

is 209:100.

DAP has the most likes within PR with 56.12% of total likes. This is followed by PKR

with 44.32% of total likes and PAS with 32.18% of total likes.

DAP attracts the highest percentage of men and women within PR. Both DAP and PKR

have a male-dominant fan-base with over 70% of each party’s likes coming from men.


Comparison of BN and PR

PR has more likes than BN in every age group.



PR has more male and female likes than BN in every age group. However the gap is

narrow for female likes, which means BN can overtake PR in likes from potential women

voters.

BN likes have grown at a faster rate than PR in November, narrowing the gap between

both coalitions.

BN’s highest growth was in men aged 21-30 years, while PR’s highest growth was in

women aged 21-30 years

Other Topics

Prime Minister Najib Razak has 969 thousand likes from potential voters, with an m/f

ratio of 117:100. 54% are male and 46% are female. His fan-base grew less male-

dominant in November.

Federal Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has 357 thousand likes from potential voters,

with an m/f ratio of 204:100. 67% are male and 33% are female. His fan-base grew

more male-dominant in November.

1Malaysia has 1.07 million likes from potential voters, with an m/f ratio of 84:100. 46%

are male and 54% are female. The fan-base is grew more female-dominant in November.

Bersih has 275 thousand likes from potential voters, with an m/f ratio of 242:100. 71%

are male and 29% are female. Female likes have reduced in November and the fan-base

grew more male-dominant.



General interest in politics

Out of the total population of 9 million potential voters, 801 thousand (8.8%) like Barisan

Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat combined (Figure 14). This low percentage indicates an implicit

lack of interest in political parties.

There are 507 thousand men and 289 thousand women. The m/f ratio is 175:100.

The population grew by 8.53% (63 thousand) in November. The male population grew by

6.27% (30 thousand) while the female population grew by 12.77% (33 thousand). The m/f ratio

has reduced from 186:100 to 175:100.

In summary, political party interest remains male-dominated but women are showing an

increased interest in political parties.

9%

91%

Figure 14. Potential Voter Interest (Political Parties)

Interested Not interested

64%

36%

Figure 15. Potential Voters Interested in Political Parties, by

Gender

Male Female



Interest in Barisan Nasional (BN)

Out of the total population of 9 million potential voters, 372 thousand (4.1%) like Barisan

Nasional component parties (and supporter groups). There are 225 thousand men and 146

thousand women. The m/f ratio is 154:100.



ratio has reduced from 157:100 to 154:100.

This indicates that BN’s popularity among women has increased, making the fan-base less male-

dominant.

4%

96%

Figure 16. Potential Voter Interest (BN)


61%

39%

Figure 17. Potential Voters Interested in BN, by Gender

Male Female



Component Party Likes

Figure 18 shows the total likes for the top four parties. The data is in the following table.

Party Potential Voter Likes % of BN

UMNO 240280 64.43%

GERAKAN 124440 33.37%

MCA 26980 7.23%

MIC 19540 5.23%

UMNO has the most likes within BN, with 64.43% of total likes. This is followed by GERAKAN

which has 33.37% of total likes, MCA with 7.23% of total likes and MIC with 5.23% of total likes.

240,280

124,440

26,980 19,540

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

UMNO GERAKAN MCA MIC

Figure 18. Barisan Nasional Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs) by Party Dec 2012




Component Party Likes by Gender

Figure 19 shows the total likes by gender for the top four parties. The data is in the following

table.

Party Male % of party

% of BN Female % of party

% of BN m/f Ratio

UMNO 159380 66.33% 70.77% 79580 33.12% 54.54% 200:100

GERAKAN 62480 50.21% 27.74% 61440 49.37% 42.11% 102:100

MCA 19740 73.17% 8.77% 7060 26.17% 4.84% 280:100

MIC 11400 58.34% 5.06% 8080 41.35% 5.54% 141:100

UMNO attracts the highest percentage of men and women - 70.77% of male likes and 54.54% of

female likes of BN. GERAKAN is 2nd highest with 27.74% of male likes and 42.11% of female

likes. MIC has more female likes than MCA, despite having a smaller overall total.

Unlike UMNO’s male-dominant fan-base with an m/f ratio of 200:100, GERAKAN has a more

balanced m/f ratio of 102:100.

Where GERAKAN’s users came from was not obvious, as Dr Koh Tsu Koon’s Page only has 2379

likes, and GERAKAN’s official Page only has 1146 likes. A search on Facebook revealed that

many users list ‘Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia’ (GERAKAN) in their work history, which

contributed to GERAKAN’s total likes.

Twitter Usage


159,380

79,580

62,480 61,440

19,740 7,060 11,400 8,080

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

Male Female

Figure 19. Barisan Nasional Component Party Likes (>=21 yrs) by Gender, Dec 2012




Interest in Pakatan Rakyat (PR)

Out of the total population of 9 million potential voters, 573 thousand (6.3%) like Pakatan

Rakyat component parties (and supporter groups). There are 385 thousand men and 184

thousand women. The m/f ratio is 209:100.




This indicates that PR’s popularity among women has increased, making the fan-base less male-

dominant.

6%

94%

Figure 20. Potential Voter Interest (PR)


68%

32%

Figure 21. Potential Voters Interested in PR, by Gender

Male Female



Component Party Likes

Figure 22 shows the total likes for the top four parties. The data is in the following table.

Party Potential Voter Likes % of PR

DAP 321920 56.12%

PKR 254220 44.32%

PAS 184580 32.18%

DAP has the most likes within PR, with 56.12% of total likes. This is followed by PKR with

44.32% of total likes and PAS with 32.18% of total likes.

321,920

254,220

184,580

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

DAP PKR PAS

Figure 22. Pakatan Rakyat Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs) by Party Dec 2012

DAP PKR PAS



Component Party Likes by Gender

Figure 23 shows the total likes by gender for the top four parties. The data is in the following

table.

Party Male % of party

% of PR Female % of party

% of PR m/f Ratio

DAP 226380 70.32% 58.69% 92700 28.80% 50.36% 244:100

PKR 178640 70.27% 46.13% 73840 29.05% 40.12% 242:100

PAS 117140 63.46% 30.37% 66680 36.13% 36.23% 176:100

DAP attracts the highest percentage of men and women - 58.69% of male likes and 50.36% of

female likes of PR. PKR is 2nd highest with 46.13% of male likes and 40.12% of female likes.

Both DAP and PKR’s fan-base is male dominant, with over 70% of each party’s likes coming

from men. PAS’ fan-base is less male dominant with 63.46% of their likes coming from men.

Twitter Usage


226,380

92,700

178,640

73,840

117,140

66,680

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

Male Female

Figure 23. Pakatan Rakyat Component Party Likes (>=21 yrs) by Gender Dec 2012

DAP PKR PAS



Comparison of Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR)

Total Likes

Out of the total population of 9 million potential voters, 573 thousand like PR while 372

thousand like BN, as shown in Figure 24. The PR/BN ratio is 153:100.

Total Likes by Age

PR has more likes than BN in every age group, as shown in Figure 25.

573640

372940

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

Pakatan Rakyat Barisan Nasional

Figure 24. BN vs PR, Total Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs), Dec 2012


21-30 31-40 41-50 >50

BN 235280 88440 31080 18160

PR 319400 162160 57880 34220

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

Face

bo

ok

Like

s

Age Group

Figure 25. BN vs PR, Total Facebook Likes by Age, Dec 2012



Total Likes by Age and Gender

PR has more male likes than BN in every age group, by a large margin. However when it comes

to female likes the gap is smaller than the gap for males - as little as 12 thousand for ages 21-30

years.

The narrow gap implies that BN can overtake PR in likes from potential women voters.

Growth in November

In November, PR’s fan-base grew by 7.54% (40 thousand) while BN’s fan-base grew by 14.07%

(46 thousand). This has shifted the PR/BN ratio from 163:100 to 153:100.

The gap between BN and PR has become smaller, as shown in Figure 27.

21-30 31-40 41-50 >50

BN Male 137020 54740 20060 13320

BN Female 97460 33040 10780 4620

PR Male 208040 110860 41300 25520

PR Female 109600 50060 16060 8320

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

Face

bo

ok

Like

s

Age Group

Figure 26. BN vs PR, Total Facebook Likes by Age and Gender, Dec 2012

573640 533420

372940 326940

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

Dec Nov

Figure 27. BN vs PR, Growth in Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs),

Nov 2012




Figure 28 shows the growth in Facebook likes by age and gender in November.

BN’s highest growth was in men aged 21-30 years, while PR’s highest growth was in women

aged 21-30 years.

BN maintained a higher growth than PR among men in all age groups, particularly among users

aged above 50 years where PR experienced negative growth.

PR maintained a higher growth than BN among women aged 21-50 years. Among women aged

above 50 years, BN’s fan-base grew by 40 more users than PR.

In total, BN’s m/f ratio has reduced from 157:100 to 154:100, while PR’s m/f ratio has reduced

from 230:100 to 209:100. Both coalitions need to maintain higher growth rates among women

to more closely match the national m/f ratio of 119:100.

21-30 31-40 41-50 >50

BN Male Growth 15660 7360 2120 1180

BN Female Growth 11000 5940 1880 600

PR Male Growth 9620 5460 1080 -180

PR Female Growth 14560 7100 1760 560

-20000

2000400060008000

1000012000140001600018000

Face

bo

ok

Like

s

Age Group

Figure 28. BN vs PR, Growth in Facebook Likes by Age and Gender Nov 2012



Interest in Prime Minister Najib Razak

Out of the total population of 9 million potential voters, 969 thousand (10.67%) like the Prime

Minister (PM), Najib Razak. There are 521 thousand men and 443 thousand women. The m/f

ratio is 117:100.




This indicates that the PM’s popularity among women has increased, making his fan-base less

male-dominant.

11%

89%

Figure 29. Potential Voter Interest (Najib Razak)


54%

46%

Figure 30. Potential Voters who Like Najib Razak, by Gender

Male Female



Interest in Federal Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim

Out of the total population of 9 million potential voters, 357 thousand (3.93%) like the Federal

Opposition Leader, Anwar Ibrahim. There are 238 thousand men and 116 thousand women. The

m/f ratio is 204:100.



has increased from 192:100 to 204:100.

This indicates that Anwar Ibrahim’s popularity among men has increased, making his fan-base

more male-dominant.

4%

96%

Figure 31. Potential Voter Interest (Anwar Ibrahim)


67%

33%

Figure 32. Potential Voters who Like Anwar Ibrahim, by Gender

Male Female



Interest in 1Malaysia

Out of the total population of 9 million potential voters, 1.07 million (11.8%) like 1Malaysia.

There are 488 thousand men and 580 thousand women. The m/f ratio is 84:100.



ratio has reduced from 90:100 to 84:100.

This indicates that interest in 1Malaysia is becoming increasingly female-dominant.

12%

88%

Figure 33. Potential Voter Interest (1 Malaysia)


46%

54%

Figure 34. Potential Voters Interested in 1Malaysia, by

Gender

Male Female



Interest in Bersih

Out of the total population of 9 million potential voters, 275 thousand (3%) like Bersih. There

are 193 thousand men and 80 thousand women. The m/f ratio is 242:100.

The population grew by 4.53% (12 thousand) in November. The male population grew by 6.9%

(12 thousand) while the female population reduced by 0.67% (540). The m/f ratio has

increased from 225:100 to 242:100.

This indicates that interest in Bersih is becoming increasingly male dominant. The loss in female

users is unusual compared to the other topics measured in this census.

Additionally (as of December 20th 2012) likes for Bersih 2.0’s official Page have only had a net

growth of 9700 likes since the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28th 2012. This includes likes from all

Facebook users, not just those located in Malaysia.

3%

97%

Figure 35. Potential Voter Interest (Bersih)


71%

29%

Figure 36. Potential Voters Interested in Bersih, by Gender

Male Female



Malaysian interest in mainstream and alternative media

The information in this section is about mainstream media (MSM) and alternative media

interests of the voting population (users aged above 21 years old).

We measured interest in the following media categories:

1. Malay Mainstream Media

a. Berita Harian

b. Harian Metro

c. Utusan Malaysia

d. Sinar Harian

2. English Mainstream Media

a. The Star

b. The New Straits Times

c. The Malay Mail

3. Chinese Mainstream Media

a. Kwong Wah Yit Poh

b. Nanyang Siang Pau

c. Sin Chew Daily

d. Guang Ming Daily

e. China Press

4. Online Alternative Media (mixed-language)

a. Malaysiakini

b. The Malaysian Insider

c. Free Malaysia Today

Likes do not include shares of media articles on Facebook.

Key points

For mainstream media, Malay-language media have a much larger user-base compared

to English-language media. The gap between the leading publications in both languages

is large - Berita Harian has 710 thousand likes, while The Star only has 82 thousand

likes.

For online alternative media, Malaysiakini has the largest user-base with 295 thousand

likes. This is inclusive of its English, Malay and Chinese Pages.

Malay-language MSM tends to have a female-dominant fan-base, with an average m/f

ratio of 75:100.

English-language MSM tends to have a male-dominant fan-base, with an average m/f

ratio of 138:100.

Chinese-language MSM tends to have a female-dominant fan-base, with an average m/f

ratio of 94:100.

Alternative media tends to have a male-dominant fan-base, with an average m/f ratio of

259:100.

Alternative media have the most male-dominant fan-base of the topics measured in this

census, with Malaysia Today having an m/f ratio of 311:100 and The Malaysian Insider

having an m/f ratio of 300:100.



Malay Mainstream Media

Total likes

Figure 37 shows the number of likes from potential voters for each publication. The data is in

the following table.

Publication Potential voter likes

% of total potential voters

Berita Harian 710480 7.81%

Harian Metro 620580 6.83% Utusan Malaysia 418880 4.61%

Sinar Harian 260900 2.87%

KOSMO 207600 2.28%

710480

620580

418880

260900 207600

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

Berita Harian Harian Metro Utusan Malaysia Sinar Harian KOSMO

Figure 37. Malay Mainstream Media Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs), Dec 2012

Potential Voters



Total likes by gender

Figure 38 shows the total likes by gender for each publication. The data is in the following table.

Publication Male % of publication

% of male

potential voters

Female % of publication

% of female

potential voters

m/f Ratio

Berita Harian

288800 40.65% 5.88% 419540 59.05% 10.17% 69:100

Harian Metro

244680 39.43% 4.98% 374120 60.29% 9.07% 65:100

Utusan Malaysia

186740 44.58% 3.80% 230680 55.07% 5.59% 81:100

Sinar Harian

129820 49.76% 2.64% 130080 49.86% 3.15% 100:100

KOSMO 78220 37.68% 1.59% 128740 62.01% 3.12% 61:100

Apart from Sinar Harian, Malay mainstream media have a female-dominant fan-base with

women making up 55.07% – 62.01% of likes.

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

400000

450000

Berita Harian Harian Metro Utusan Malaysia Sinar Harian KOSMO

Figure 38. Malay Mainstream Media Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs) by Gender, Dec 2012

Male Female



English Mainstream Media

Total likes





The Star 82840 0.91%

New Straits Times 73180 0.80% The Malay Mail 9940 0.11%

82840

73180

9940

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

The Star New Straits Times The Malay Mail

Figure 39. English Mainstream Media Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs), Dec 2012

Potential Voters






% of male

potential voters


% of female

potential voters

m/f Ratio

The Star 45580 55.02% 0.93% 36800 44.42% 0.89% 124:100

New Straits Times

40460 55.29% 0.82% 32100 43.86% 0.78% 126:100

The Malay Mail

6120 61.57% 0.12% 3720 37.42% 0.09% 164:100

English mainstream media have a male-dominant fan-base with men making up 55.02% –

61.57% of likes.

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

50000

The Star New Straits Times The Malay Mail

Figure 40. English Mainstream Media Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs) by Gender, Dec 2012

Male Female



Chinese Mainstream Media

Total likes





China Press 37380 0.41%

Guang Ming Daily 34900 0.38% Kwong Wah Yit Poh 30540 0.34%

Sin Chew Daily 28640 0.32%

Nanyang Siang Pau 1360 0.01%

37380 34900

30540 28640

1360

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

China Press Guang Ming Daily Kwong Wah Yit Poh Sin Chew Daily Nanyang Siang Pau

Figure 41. Chinese Mainstream Media Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs), Dec 2012

Potential Voters






% of male

potential voters


% of female

potential voters

m/f Ratio

China Press

17520 46.87% 0.36% 19580 52.38% 0.47% 89:100

Guang Ming Daily

15660 44.87% 0.32% 19000 54.44% 0.46% 82:100

Kwong Wah Yit Poh

13900 45.51% 0.28% 16380 53.63% 0.40% 84:100

Sin Chew Daily

13460 46.99% 0.27% 14900 52.03% 0.36% 90:100

Nanyang Siang Pau

740 54.41% 0.01% 580 42.65% 0.01% 127:100

Apart from Nanyang Siang Pau, Chinese mainstream media have a female-dominant fan-base

with women making up 52.03% – 54.44% of likes.

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

China Press Guang Ming Daily Kwong Wah Yit Poh Sin Chew Daily Nanyang Siang Pau

Figure 42. Chinese Mainstream Media Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs) by Gender, Dec 2012

Male Female



Online Alternative Media (mixed language)

Total likes





Malaysiakini 256340 2.82%

Malaysia Today 37440 0.41% The Malaysian Insider 33140 0.36%

Free Malaysia Today 29100 0.32%

256340

37440 33140 29100

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

Malaysiakini Malaysia Today The Malaysian Insider Free Malaysia Today

Figure 43. Online Alternative Media Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs), Dec 2012

Potential Voters






% of male

potential voters


% of female

potential voters

m/f Ratio

Malaysiakini 169940 66.29% 3.46% 84280 32.88% 2.04% 202:100

Malaysia Today

28080 75.00% 0.57% 9040 24.15% 0.22% 311:100

The Malaysian Insider

24680 74.47% 0.50% 8240 24.86% 0.20% 300:100

Free Malaysia Today

19920 68.45% 0.41% 8880 30.52% 0.22% 224:100

Online alternative media have a male-dominant fan-base with men making up 66.29% – 75.00%

of likes.

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

180000

Malaysiakini Malaysia Today The Malaysian Insider Free Malaysia Today

Figure 44. Online Alternative Media Facebook Likes (>=21 yrs) by Gender, Dec 2012

Male Female

2012 Census of Facebook Users in Malaysia_Dec2012

Documents