Key findings:
- Reddit use among American women rose from 13% in September 2022 to 22% in September 2026, narrowing the gap with men from nine points to five.
- 58% of women who use Reddit are Gen Z or Millennials, while 57% fall into middle- or higher-income groups.
- Women who use Reddit are also more likely to check information, value expert opinion and get advice before making a purchase.
- Women who use Reddit discover products across digital, interpersonal and in-store channels; 61% cite recommendations from friends, family or colleagues, 54% browsing in stores and 51% search engines.
Reddit use among American women has grown notably in recent years. Although men are still more likely to be the platform’s users, new analysis of YouGov BrandIndex data shows that women have been gaining ground.
Reddit’s rapid growth among women
In September 2022, 13% of American women had visited Reddit in the previous 30 days. Four years later, that figure has risen to 22% – a nine-percentage-point increase.
During the same period, the equivalent figure among American men rose from 22% to 27%. As a result, the gap in Reddit use among men and women has narrowed from nine points four years ago to five points now.
Men currently make up 59% of Reddit’s U.S. users, while women account for 41%, according to YouGov Profiles.
But who are the women causing this sizable uptick in Reddit’s users, and what distinguishes them as consumers?
Women who use Reddit are younger and from middle income households
YouGov Profiles data shows that women who use Reddit skew younger than American women overall. Currently, 58% are Gen Z (25%) or Millennials (33%), compared with 19% and 27% respectively among American women overall.
Women who use Reddit are also more likely to be from middle- and higher-income households than American women overall. More than half (57%) fall into the middle- or higher-income groups, compared with 44% of American women overall. Conversely, 30% are in the lower-income group, compared with 43% of American women overall.
Product discovery happens across online and offline channels
YouGov’s data also finds that women who use Reddit are more likely than American women overall to discover new products across a broad mix of online, interpersonal and offline sources.
While recommendations from friends, family or colleagues are the top source for both groups, the figure for women users of Reddit is 61% compared with 53% of American women overall. It is a similar gap when it comes to physical retail stores, with 54% discovering products while browsing in stores, versus 44% overall.
Some of the largest differences, however, are in research-led digital channels. Around half use search engines to discover products (51% vs. 38%) – the largest gap between the groups – while 48% turn to product reviews on websites, blogs or social media (vs. 37%).
Women who use Reddit are also more likely to cite word-of-mouth or community recommendations (42% vs. 34%), online shopping marketplaces (45% vs. 38%) and social media influencers or bloggers (32% vs. 29%), underscoring how their product discovery stretches across digital research, personal recommendations and physical stores rather than concentrating in any one type of channel.
They like to get advice before purchasing
YouGov’s analysis also finds it’s the same story when it comes to checking information and getting advice before buying. More than half (52%) of female Reddit users say they always check product reviews before purchasing, compared with 43% of American women overall.
Similarly, they are also more likely to value expert opinions (65% vs. 57%) and get advice before buying new things (66% vs. 57%).
Advertising channels: Online dominates, but others still play a role
American female Reddit users’ digital tendencies also show when it comes to advertising channels. Online is the channel most likely to catch their attention (61% vs. 51% of American women overall).
However, while TV is a distant second, over a third (37%) still say it is an effective way to reach them (though, notably, this is a lower proportion than the female population as a whole at 41%). While in-store promotions would catch the attention of similar proportions of both groups, women who use Reddit, at 20%, are more likely to notice ads in podcasts as compared 16% of American women in general.
So, Reddit’s growing female audience in the U.S. is young and more likely to be middle- or higher-income. As consumers, they stand out for researching purchases across multiple sources, combining search, reviews and recommendations with in-store discovery, while placing greater value on advice and expert opinion before buying.
Methodology:
YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Reddit’s Current Customer score is based on the question: Have you visited any of the following online brands in the past 30 days (through desktop/laptop, tablet, or mobile phone)? Scores are reported as percentages, based on daily surveys of US adults. Data is weighted using a propensity scoring methodology with targets from the American Community Survey (ACS) to ensure representation by age, gender, race, education, and region. Figures are shown as a 52-week moving average between September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2026.
YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between September 2025 and September 2026, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in the US and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race.
Image credit: Getty Images
