The American Love Affair with Cell Phones: Statistics and Demographics

With 83% of Americans owning cell phones (and 35% owning smartphones), the cell phone has become a ubiquitous part of daily life in the US. In a follow up to their study on smartphone adoption, Pew Internet released new cell phone statistics on how Americans are using those phones.

Cell Phone Statistics: Activities and Uses

Uses and Activities Cell Phone Statistics from Pew InternetPredictably, the most popular cell phone activities are text messaging and taking pictures (both at 73%). I guess the Pew Internet survey assumed everyone uses their cell phones for calls, because they did not ask about it. These popular activities were followed by sending a photo or video (54%), accessing the Internet (44%), sending/receiving email (38%). The number of people using their phones to play games, music and record video were around 35%. Accessing Twitter and video chat made up only 6% of users.

Several activities have become more popular over the last year. The number of people using their mobile phone to access the Internet rose from 38% to 44%. Sending or receiving email rose from 34% to 38%. Sending photo or video rose the most dramatically, from 36% to 54%.

Over half of all adult cell owners (51%) have used their mobile phone to for quick information retrieval. Over one quarter of those people (27%) said that they have been in a situation in the last month were they had trouble doing something because they didn’t have their cell phone handy. Forty percent (40%) of mobile users have found themselves in an emergency situation where their cell phone was helpful. Mobile phones also help cure boredom; 42% of cell owners user their phones for entertainment.

Cell Phone Statistics: Use by Age

Age cell phone statistics by Pew InternetCertain demographic factors tended to correlate with more cell phone user. Younger adults, those aged 18-29, were the most active cell phone users.  Those with some college education or a college degree, urban and suburban residents, and parents are all more likely to engage a variety of cell phone activities beyond simply voice calling. African Americans and Latinos also had higher rates of usage when compared to white cell users.

Optimizing Mobile Websites

With the number of people using their mobile phone to access the Internet continuing to increase, it is important for companies to measure how their site is performing on mobile devices. Crowd Science’s free mobile website analytics tool provides more than just basic analytics; MOB lets you find deep demographic and contextual insights about your mobile website traffic. Try MOB today to find out how satisfied your visitors are and how you can improve your mobile site.

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