WASHINGTON – A new poll by research group Gallup indicates that most Americans keep their smartphone with them every second of their life.
According to the poll, which included 16,000 people across all 50 states, 81% said they kept their smartphone with them at all times of the day. Only 11% of those surveyed admit to checking their smartphone every few minutes, however, 41% admit to checking it more than once every hour and only 2% said they check it about once per day.
A recent Pew Research report indicated that 64% of Americans own a smartphone, with an ownership rate of 85% among 18-29-year-olds. Despite not being a typical sample group, some research indicates that smartphone fixation may be developing in the cradle. A study by the Department of Pediatrics at the Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia found that roughly 38% of children surveyed under the age of 4 had used a mobile media device for at least one hour every day.
Despite the overwhelming prevalence of smartphones in everyday life, most of those surveyed by Gallup feel they check their phone less often than other people. The survey found that 61% said they check their phone a little less often or a lot less often than others, with 28% saying they check their phone as often and only 11% estimated they check their phone more often than other people.
“It’s possible that Americans either misperceive what others are doing, or that they feel it is a socially undesirable behavior and therefore want to believe that they aren’t doing it as much as others,” the report noted.
The survey would seem to bolster the wireless industry’s continued demands for access to more spectrum resources, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming 600 MHz spectrum auction.
“For the wireless industry, the incentive auction represents an important opportunity to bid for access to much-needed spectrum for mobile broadband use,” noted wireless trade group CTIA in a recent statement. “The spectrum repurposed through a successful incentive auction will help meet the expected six- to seven-fold increase in mobile data traffic within five years.”
