Highlights From the Gallup Poll Findings:
Smartphone attachment is higher among women (51%) than men (41%), and among younger than older adults. And at each age level, women are more likely than men to say they can’t imagine life without their phone. As a result, women under 30 are the most likely of all gender/age groups to feel this way (58%), while men 65 and older are the least likely (35%).
As Gallup previously reported, four in five smartphone users keep their phone close throughout the day, nearly as many check it at least hourly, and three in five sleep near it. And more than one-third of U.S. workers report checking their work email frequently during nonworking hours. Thus, it is not surprising that 42% of all smartphone users say losing their device and not replacing it for a day would make them somewhat (32%) or very (10%) anxious. Another 30% say they would be “not very anxious,” leaving just 29% who would not be anxious at all.
Again, young women are the most likely gender/age group to concede they would be anxious if they had to go without their smartphone for a day. Nearly six in 10 women under 30 say this would make them very or somewhat anxious, as do 51% of women 30 to 49 years of age. The rate is closer to 40% for men under 50 and is a third or less among senior men and women.
Overall, 70% of smartphone users say their device has made their life better, including 24% who believe it has made their life a lot better. While a quarter of all smartphone users say their device has made their life neither better nor worse, just 6% say it has made their life worse to any degree.
About Gary Price
