New NORC Study Reveals Social Media Users’ Exposure to Food & Beverage Marketing
Author
Monitoring the influence of social media on society and well-being.
November 2025
AmeriSpeak® panelists donated personal data from Facebook accounts for study.
Social media is increasingly recognized as a threat to Americans’ mental health, yet less is known about its impact on our physical health. Amid growing concern about the types of food and beverages Americans consume, NORC examined how food and beverages are marketed on social media, who is exposed to this content, and how this exposure relates to dietary choices.
To better understand how people view food and beverage-related content on social media, NORC’s Social Data Collaboratory, along with AmeriSpeak, collected “donated” social media data from AmeriSpeak panelists.
Participants were invited to download and share their social media viewing history. NORC then processed these data through a custom-built secure data pipeline to analyze the frequency and nature of food and beverage-related content users saw in their social media feeds. We also explored how content exposure varied across demographic groups, offering new insights into the digital food environment and its potential public health implications.
Facebook Ads Flood Your Feed—But What You See Depends on Who You Are
Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of adult Facebook users are exposed to advertisements. On average, these users see about 26 ads per day (median: 17), which amounts to 780 ads per month (median: 510). Approximately 20 percent of these ads—around five per day (median: 2), or 150 per month (median: 60)—are related to food and beverages.
Among users who viewed any Facebook ads, 82 percent were exposed to food and beverage advertisements, with an average of six such ads per day. Among adults who viewed food and beverage ads, the exposure levels varied notably by demographic characteristics, particularly age, race/ethnicity, and income. Adults ages 50 or older had the lowest food and beverage ad exposure levels.
Non-Hispanic Black adults experienced the highest exposure, averaging approximately 17 food and beverage ads per day. In contrast, adults of other racial and ethnic backgrounds saw much fewer, averaging about five ads daily.
Further, adults with household incomes below $30,000 were exposed to 12 food and beverage ads per day, while those in higher income groups were exposed to between four and six ads daily.
“Much of the data that could reveal how media and marketing affect health are locked in private platforms, but ethical and transparent data donation can bridge that gap and build collective knowledge to improve population health.”
‘Donated’ Social Media Data Is a Critical New Tool for Measuring the Effects of Marketing Exposure
“Data donation has great potential to advance public health. Like organ or blood donation, it lets people share something valuable, their digital footprint, for the public good,” said Sherry Emery, director of the Social Data Collaboratory and senior fellow in Public Health. “Much of the data that could reveal how media and marketing affect health are locked in private platforms, but ethical and transparent data donation can bridge that gap and build collective knowledge to improve population health.”
Donated social media data offer valuable insights into the actual content people see and engage with online, providing a powerful tool for understanding digital marketing exposure and related health behaviors.
About the NORC Spotlight on Health
NORC at the University of Chicago’s Spotlight on Health is a series of quick-hitting national surveys and analyses on issues vital to health and well-being, conducted using AmeriSpeak’s probability-based panels.
About NORC’s Social Data Collaboratory
NORC’s Social Data Collaboratory (SDC) brings together a diverse team of social science, data science, and communication experts. With decades of experience, cutting-edge technology, and a commitment to being responsible data custodians, the SDC offers unparalleled expertise in collecting, processing, and interpreting social media data. The SDC can access and analyze data from a wide range of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and X (formerly Twitter), and we continuously add new platforms to our portfolio. We employ advanced computational methods, including natural language processing, machine learning, and AI capabilities, to provide unbiased research and actionable insights.
Our portfolio of work is agnostic to subject matter, and we are agile in our capability to collect and analyze social media data from varying platforms. We have conducted comprehensive analyses on social, health, and political topics. Our partners trust us to harness the potential of social media data for transformative research, informed decision-making, and insights into societal trends.
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please contact Anna-Leigh Ong at NORC at ong-anna-leigh@norc.org or (917) 242-2172 (cell).
