A new Rasmussen survey shows more than 40 percent of Americans view social media like Facebook and Twitter as having a generally positive effect when it comes to keeping people informed on current events. From the survey:

Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are playing an increasing role in how people consume information worldwide, and nearly a quarter of Americans now say they regularly use social media to follow major news events in real time.

Forty-three percent (43%) of American Adults say that social media keep more people informed of major news events, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Twenty-nine percent (29%) don’t believe social media keep people more informed of major stories, but just as many (28%) are undecided.

The fact that nearly one in four American news consumers is getting their news from social media reflects a similar finding by Pew Research in 2012. The Pew study on how Americans get their news showed that 22 percent said social networking sites.