Mac users are more likely to be open minded and liberal than the rest of the population, according to research conducted at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco this week.

Mindset Media, which operates an online ad network that targets people with the personality traits that fit its clients' brands, has released a Mindset Profile of Mac users.

Mac enthusiasts descending on San Francisco in droves this week to see the latest Apple innovations are likely to have a lot in common with the open minded, liberal population they will find in the city, according to Mindset.

The survey of 7,500 users revealed that people who are highly open minded or, in Mindset Media parlance 'Openness 5s', are 60 per cent more likely than the general population to have purchased a Mac.

These purchasers are also more liberal, less modest and "more assured of their own superiority than the population at large", the company said.

Mindset defines 'Openness 5s' as those who seek rich, varied and novel experiences, and who believe that imagination and intellectual curiosity contribute to a life well lived.

They are receptive to their own inner feelings and may feel happiness and unhappiness more intensely than others.

"In a competitive market, like the one for personal computers, many brands compete for the same demographic," said Sarah Welch, chief operating officer and co-founder of Mindset Media.

"What separates the winners from the losers is often the ability to identify and reach the right psychographic.

"For the first time, marketers with brands that have distinctive Mindset Profiles, like Apple, can directly reach the people with the personality and attitudes who love what they sell."