Study: Smartphone dependence continues to grow

THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT of respondents said checking text messages is the first thing they do on their phone every day, followed by checking emails at 22 percent. / COURTESY DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT of respondents said checking text messages is the first thing they do on their phone every day, followed by checking emails at 22 percent. / COURTESY DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Americans look at their smartphones up to 47 times a day, and that number rises to 82 times a day for those in the 18-24-year-old age group, according to a survey from Deloitte & Touche LLP.

Released last month, the sixth edition of the Global Mobile Consumer Survey found that Americans’ dependence on their smartphones continues to rise, as it has become the platform of choice for work and home because it allows for a growing number of tasks.

It said consumers check their smartphone more than 9 billion times per day, a 13 percent increase from 2015, oftentimes doing so while engaged in other activities, such as watching television. Eighty-nine percent of consumers reported simultaneous use of the TV and smartphone, the study found.

It also found that nearly half of those surveyed check their phones in the middle of the night – meaning that as a nation, approximately 100 million people are waking up and checking their phone each and every night. Of those who get up and check their phones, more than 40 million people check social media, the study found.

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It also discovered that nearly two-thirds of all consumers check their phone within 15 minutes of waking up and 90 percent do so within an hour.

“Among the most interesting findings is how our reliance on mobile devices has changed the very nature of person-to-person communications; texting and other short forms of communication are beginning to dominate, enabling us to communicate more frequently and effectively,” Craig Wigginton, vice chairman and telecommunications sector leader, Deloitte & Touche LLP, said in a statement. “This year’s survey data confirms that not only is the smartphone the central hub of consumers’ everyday lives, but consumers are willing to pay for a range of applications gaining steam in the market such as IoT for the home and car.”

The survey resulted in interesting discoveries, such as:

  • For the first time, 25-34-year-olds are the leading age demographic in mobile technology usage and purchased more smartphones this year than any other age group (and more than 75 percent are middle of the night phone checkers).
  • Text and other short forms of communication are becoming the dominant form. For the first time across all ages, the first thing consumers access on their phones each day is texts or instant messages.
  • Forty-five percent of consumers report more use of video calls compared with last year, 44 percent report more instant messaging, 35 percent report more social media use, and 25 percent report more traditional voice calls.
  • Outside of work, 93 percent of consumers noted “using their phone while shopping” making it the No. 1 leisurely activity performed on consumers’ phones.
  • More than half – 58 percent – report they have used their phones to browse a shopping website or app, with 38 percent saying they do so at least once a week.
  • Forty-three percent of 25-34-year-olds report paying for products with or through their mobile phones at least once a week.
  • Coffee shops are regarded as the most useful in-store mobile payments location, with 39 percent saying they find this beneficial.

Deloitte said the 2016 Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer Survey is its biggest and most extensive to date, noting it includes 53,000 respondents, aged 18-74, across five continents and 31 countries.

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