Smartphone penetration has reached more than half (52%) of 18-to-29-year-old US adults, according to a July 2011 study from the Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project. The study also reveals that 45% of 30-to-49-year-olds own smartphones, and this figure then drops by almost 50% to 24% among 50-to-64-year-olds.
Overall, 35% of US adults own smartphones.
Non-whites Own Smartphones at Higher Rate
Pew data shows that both blacks and Hispanics have a 44% smartphone ownership rate. This is almost 50% higher than the 30% smartphone ownership rate found among whites.
6 in 10 Wealthiest Americans Own Smartphones
About six in 10 (59%) of the wealthiest Americans earning a household income of $75,000 or more per year own smartphones. This figure drops about 36% to 38% among those earning $50,000 to $74,000 annually. Interestingly, smartphone penetration is slightly higher (40%) in the next-lowest income bracket, those earning $30,000 to $49,999 annually.
Attending College Boosts Smartphone Ownership
Almost half of college grads (48%) own smartphones, and 38% of those with some college education own smartphones. The percentage drops to only 27% of high school grads and 18% of those with less than a high school diploma.
Geography also matters, as the percentage of rural residents with smartphones (21%) is 45% less than the 38% of both suburban and urban residents who own them.
Smartphone Owners Active Online
Smartphone owners participation in online activities through their devices at high rates. Almost nine in 10 (87%) use internet or email on their smartphone, while two-thirds (68%) use it to go online on a typical day and one-quarter mostly use their smartphone to go online.
Smartphone Owners Use Tech More Frequently
Smartphone owners are more likely than cell phone owners and non-owners to use other technology devices. For example, 79% of smartphone owners use a laptop, 34% more than the 52% of cell phone owners and 73% more than the 21% of non-owners.
Similarly, 70% of smartphone owners use an mp3 player, 46% more than the 38% of cell phone owners and 87% more than the 9% of non-owners. Large gaps also exist in usage rates of desktop computers, e-book readers and tablet computers (which have essentially no penetration among adults without cell phones).
Android Leading Platform
Android is the clear leader in smartphone platforms, with 35% of smartphone owners and 15% of all cell phone owners having an Android smartphone. This percentage declines by roughly a third for both smartphone and cell owners for ownership of iPhones and Blackberries.
Prosper: Computers Popular with Mobile Users
More than half of smartphone and tablet users still use a laptop or desktop computer to access the internet, according to a June 2011 survey from Prosper Mobile Insights. Survey results indicate about 56% of these consumers access the internet via computer, while 40% use a smartphone and only 4% use a tablet.
About the Data: The results reported here are based on a national telephone survey of 2,277 adults conducted April 26-May 22, 2011.
