Social media has come of age. Twitter is now as influential as the X Factor judges when it comes to how people vote on the show. And the micro-blogging service is also 42% more influential than other key news sources in deciding voters’ behaviour, according to a study published by Carat.

The results, which drew on data from 13,000 people, are believed to be the first insight into the influence of social media on actual viewer voting behaviour. They also underline the fact that viewer trust is shifting from traditional media influencers to non-traditional media such as Twitter and Facebook.

Twitter is the most trusted source, with 66% of viewers believing what they read on the site about X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing when deciding how to vote.

It also reveals that multi-screen viewing is now the norm. The majority of X-Factor viewers surveyed said they have used Facebook at the same time as watching the show, at 51%, while 14% used Twitter.

The findings also reveal that commentary is not only generated from the TV shows – advertisers will be pleased to learn that engagement among these viewers is high; 26% of those surveyed had commented on an ad on Facebook during X Factor; 7% said they had tweeted about an advertising campaign.

Key findings summary:

51% of X Factor viewers use Facebook at the same time as watching the programme while 14% use Twitter.

In deciding who to vote for on X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing, Twitter and the judges themselves are equally as influential with 17% of viewers saying that this is what influences them who to vote for ‘a lot’.

Twitter is also seen as the most trustworthy, with 66% of viewers saying that when deciding who to vote for they believe this source.

7% of viewers have tweeted about an ad during the X Factor, whilst 26% have commented on Facebook about it.

Respondents who regularly watch X Factor are significantly more likely to say that they like to comment on a social network/blog when a big live event is on TV. They also view social networking as an easier way to tell lots of people what they think.

Tracy De Groose, Managing Director, Carat said: ‘This survey gives us a great insight into the direct influence of social media on consumers’ voting behaviour for the first time and underlines the enormous power of second-screen engagement. As with many things in life, we are massively influenced by friends and opinion formers. The only difference is technology is making this easier and easier.’

Ben Ayers, Head of Social Media at Carat said: ‘That our personal connections have a significant impact on the decisions we make isn’t news, but the new wave of technology built around people means that word of mouth reverberates further than ever. Understanding digital connections between people and what motivates them to share their thoughts and activities is the holy grail for the latest wave of web companies as well as brands trying to thrive in this new ultra connected world.’