Pew Internet Releases New Report on Use of Cell Phones to Access Internet

The Pew Internet & American Life Project released the Cell Internet Use 2013 report  today.

From the Report

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of cell phone owners now use their phone to go online, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.  We call them “cell internet users” and define them as anyone who uses their cell phone to access the internet or use email. Because 91% of all Americans now own a cell phone, this means that 57% of all American adults are cell internet users. The proportion of cell owners who use their phone to go online has doubled since 2009.
“A majority of the public now owns a smartphone, and mobile devices are playing an increasingly central role in the way that Americans access online services and information,” said Aaron Smith, a Senior Researcher at the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project. “For many, such as younger adults or lower-income Americans, cell phones are often a primary device for accessing online content—a development that has particular relevance to companies and organizations seeking to reach these groups.”

When asked which device they use most often to access the internet, one third (34%) of cell internet users say that they mostly use their cell phone rather than some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer (we refer to this group as “cell-mostly internet users”). Half (53%) of cell internet users say that they mostly go online from a device other than their cell phone, while 11% say that they use both their phone and some other device(s) equally.

Read the Complete Report, View All Charts ||| PDF Version

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