A new study conducted in the UK has found that most Brits prefer to use their smartphone to surf the web. One possible reason is that they also seem to be really fond of selfies.
The Communications Market Report from 2015 revealed that 66 percent (66%) of the adults living in Great Britain own at least one smartphone, and the number of people who use it as a primary means of getting on the internet is on the rise.
The Communications Market Report is an annual survey that Ofcom, the UK’s digital watchdog, writes in order to give an impression of how people communicate in the UK.
Smartphone ownership in the UK went from being 39 percent (39%) in 2012 among people age 16 and older, to being 66 percent (66%) just three (3) years later, in 2015, among the same demographic. And the statistic only takes into consideration the results from the first quarter of this year.
As one might expect, millenials have the lead here. The highest rate of smartphone ownership was found among people with the age between 16 and 24. Ninety percent (90%) of these individuals own at least one smartphone. For comparison, only 66 percent (66%) of them used to own a smartphone in 2012.
However, the biggest growth could be seen in the older, 55 to 64 demographic. Back in 2012 only 19 percent (19%) of them used to own a smartphone, but in 2015 their number grew to be 50 percent (50%).
The new marker report is the first one to establish smartphones, not laptops, as people’s primary device for getting online. Thirty-three percent (33%) of the participants reported that they mainly rely on their smartphone when it comes to surfing the web, while only 30 percent (30%) of the participants reported that they mainly rely on their laptop when it comes to surfing the web.
Ofcom informed that “On average, adult mobile users spent nearly two hours online each day using a smartphone in March 2015 (1 hour and 54 minutes), compared to just over an hour on laptops and PCs (1 hour and nine minutes)”.
Many have started calling Great Britain the smartphone nation, as a lot of the country’s smartphone users have described themselves as “hooked”. When asked to say how hooked they are on their smartphones, 40 percent (40%) of the survey participants rated themselves as 7 or above without any hesitation.
When the researches split them up in age demographics, the young 16 to 24 group was once again victorious as 61 percent (61%) of these individuals rated themselves as 7 or above.
What this means for the 66 percent (66%) of the adults who prefer smartphones to laptops is that almost one in three (1 in 3) of them check their devices within five (5) minutes of waking up.
But what is means for the 90 percent (90%) of the young 16 to 24 group is that 48 percent (48%) of them check their devices within five (5) minutes of waking up.
There are two (2) main reasons for all of this. On one hand, people seem to love taking selfies as the Brits took 1.2 billion selfies just last year. On the other hand, James Thickett, Ofcom’s director of research, explained that 4G technology has also helped the movement as people use it to do everything from shopping to chatting with friends.
Image Source: backbonemag.com
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