MetaFAQs – MetaFacts TUP Client Portal

October 11, 2024November 6, 2024

Employees expect remote work arrangements to endure

Background:

How long will remote work continue? Will the hybrid arrangements persist, or will we be back to all or nothing? Working remotely suddenly expanded into the mainstream in early 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In each subsequent year, employees and employers have been adapting to shifting conditions, each wondering about the road ahead. The unknowns hold many implications, including the type of technology employees will use, buy, or that employers may provide to them.

Approach:

This MetaFAQs is based on the responses of 23,671 employees over three years from the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2022 through 2024 waves, spanning the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. It reports the percentage of online adults expecting to work remotely in the next 12 months—ranging from never, to occasionally, and up to always. This is further split by age group (18-39 and 40+) and global and US views. These results are drawn from the standard published TUP tables named 200 WFHxEMPAGE.

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Usage guidelines: This document may be freely shared within and outside your organization in its entirety and unaltered. It may not be used with a generative AI system without separate licensing and express written permission. To share or quote excerpts, please contact MetaFacts.

October 10, 2024November 1, 2024

Sustained interest in smartwatches, although generations differ

Background:

Wearables have extended the literal attachment many consumers maintain to their respective ecosystems. Smartwatches are more than a fashion accessory; they can act as a visible sign of one’s brand choice, much like white headphones or blue text messages. Watching the forward interest in watches is one key indicator of Apple’s future and that of its rivals.

Approach:

This MetaFAQs is based on the responses of 54,619 respondents over four years from the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2021 through 2024 waves, spanning the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. It reports the percentage of online adults planning to purchase wearables in the next twelve months, specifically an Apple Watch, an Android Smartwatch, some other smartwatch, or a fitness tracker. This is further split by generations for global and US views. These results are drawn from the standard published TUP tables named 810 PLANSxAGEGEN.

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October 9, 2024November 1, 2024

An Apple or Android future – the generations speak

Background:

As the smartphone market approaches saturation and ubiquity, the competition between ecosystems has become the most closely scrutinized. Will future smartphone consumers choose an Apple iPhone or an Android smartphone? Is Gen X more interested in iPhones, or are they going with Android?

Approach:

This MetaFAQs is based on the responses of 54,619 respondents over four years from the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2021 through 2024 waves, spanning the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. It reports on the percentage of online adults in three mutually exclusive groups: Those who are planning to purchase an iPhone and not an Android smartphone, those planning to purchase an Android and not an iPhone, and those on the fence – planning to buy either. This is further split by generations for and with a global and US view. These results are drawn from the standard published TUP tables named 810 PLANSxAGEGEN.

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October 3, 2024November 1, 2024

Smartphones overtake computers: Device hour shifts since pre-pandemic times

Background:
Before the pandemic and economic shifts, online adults worldwide have adjusted which devices they use, how they use them, and how often they use them. Two major changes are the shift from feature phones to smartphones and, following that, the transition from computers to smartphones. One measure of this shift is the time users spend with each type of device.

Approach:
MetaFacts surveyed 81,608 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan from 2018 through 2024 as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile study. Within the survey, as part of detailing the multiple devices that respondents regularly use – smartphones, computers, tablets, and game consoles – we have them report the number of hours they use each device weekly. We aggregate these results for each respondent and then report the mean (average) hours within their country and generational age group.

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September 26, 2024November 1, 2024

The sizzle is fizzling in game-specific devices while gamers find ways to play with whatever they have

Fun is a persistent driver of technology usage, especially playing games. However, not all age generations are as interested in playing games as others are. Also, the devices people choose to play games on are evolving, with software becoming more efficient, graphics getting better, and connections getting faster. Also, the adoption of mobile devices, especially smartphones, has made game-playing more easily in reach to even casual gamers.
Approach: This MetaFAQs is based on the surveys of 52,618 respondents in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China from 2021 through 2024. In the TUP/Technology User Profile questionnaire, we asked respondents to specific the activities they do regularly with their devices – smartphones, feature phones, computers, tablets, and game consoles. Among those activities are playing immersive/action games and other games. In addition, we gathered demographics such as age which allows us to group results into generations.
The results in this MetaFAQs include tables for 2021 through 2024 detailing the active use of the following activities and devices by country and generation: Online adults (000), Any smartphone, Any PC, Any home PC, Any game console, Any tablet, Any gaming desktop or laptop PC (NET), Any VR headset, Any device – play a game (NET), Any mobile device – game-playing (Net), Any smartphone – game-playing (Net) , Any PC game-playing or gaming PC (Net), Any PC – game-playing (Net), Any home PC – game-playing (Net), Any game console – game-playing (Net), Any tablet – play a game (NET), Any gaming PC – game-playing (Net)

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September 26, 2024November 6, 2024

The aging home computer installed base as most generations delay refreshing

Background:
Headwinds have faced home computers for years. Prior to the pandemic, adults worldwide were relying less on home computers and more on smartphones, tablets, or for some of the employed, work computers. With the onset of the pandemic, many employees, students, and parents turned to home computers for entertainment, shopping, or to get work done. Now, as many employees and students are returning to previously-established routines, home computer usage levels are returning to the established long-term trend.

Approach:
MetaFacts surveyed 81,608 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan from 2018 through 2024 as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile study. Within the survey, as part of detailing the multiple devices that respondents regularly use – smartphones, computers, tablets, and game consoles – we have them report if they are using a home computer, and how recently they acquired it.

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September 23, 2024November 6, 2024

iPhone and Android switchers swayed by privacy, learning, and AI attitudes

Background:
A hotly contested group of consumers and employees includes those switching between using iPhones and Android smartphones. Attitudes about and experiences with AI will likely influence consumer’s choices of ecosystems. Apple recently announced Apple Intelligence, its own adaptation of user-facing AI, beyond the machine learning horsepower in its devices. Google has increasingly developed AI tools, with some being consumer-facing and others further back in the stack.

Approach:
MetaFacts surveyed 12,032 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 study. Within the survey, along with detailing the smartphones they use, we have them report their purchase plans for the coming 12 months. We also assess their attitudes about AI’s ability to help them be more creative, productive, or to learn new things along with many other positive and negative attitudes about AI.

We analyzed the iPhone/Android switcher market by dividing the market into 16 segments based on their current use of an iPhone or Android smartphone and their intention to acquire an iPhone or Android or not refresh their device.

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September 22, 2024November 6, 2024

The connection between AI-assisted activities and home printing

Background:

Home printers have been declining in market penetration and usage for years. Before the pandemic, adults worldwide relied less on home computers or home printers and more on smartphones, tablets, or, for some of the employed, work computers and work printers. With the onset of the pandemic, many employees, students, and parents turned to home printers to get their work or schooling done. Recent widespread attention to AI holds the promise of a home printing resurgence as early adopters tap into their creativity or learning using AI tools, potentially sparking renewed interest in printing their creations.

Approach:

MetaFacts surveyed 12,032 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 study. Within the survey, along with detailing the home printers respondents regularly use, we have them report about their printing activities. They also detail the activities they regularly do with their connected devices and those they do with assistance from an AI tool. Additionally, we assess their attitudes about AI’s ability to help them be more creative or productive.

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September 21, 2024November 1, 2024

Gen Z and Millennials are the least negative about AI in many countries

Background:
Any new technology undergoes an awareness and acceptance process before reaching any level of market penetration. That process often rests more on perception and attitudes than on objective measures of speeds, feeds, or productivity. The hype around all things AI has certainly addressed the awareness aspect, although the messages have brought more confusion than clarity for most consumers. Several themes have emerged around the possible benefits from AI assistance such as sparking creativity, boosting productivity, or fostering learning. Simultaneously, there are widespread concerns deterring adoption, including threats to privacy, incorrect results, and disappointment in the offering from what the user expected. Regarding which part of the market might be most accepting of AI, a widely held view is that Generation Z would be first. We’re hoping to address this presumption with empirical evidence.

Approach:
As part of the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2024 study, we asked respondents to rate nine statements on a five-point agreement scale. For this analysis, we evaluated three statements as being positive: “AI is a very good way to learn new things,” “AI has been helping me be more productive”, and “AI has been helping me be more creative.” We measured three other statements as being negative: “I am concerned that AI may threaten my privacy,” “AI gives too many wrong answers,” and “AI is not as good as I thought it would be.” We calculated a difference score as the summation of positive ratings minus the negative ratings. We report this difference score by generation and country.

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September 15, 2024November 1, 2024

Home PC pricing trends by generation

Background: Starting before the pandemic and subsequent economic shifts, online adults worldwide were adjusting which devices they use, with fewer using home computers. However, many employees working remotely were not provided a computer by their employer and sought to acquire one for their home. Also during this time period, adults were transitioning many of their regular activities from home computers to smartphones. This causes erratic effects to home PC prices, interrupting historical trends.

Approach: MetaFacts surveyed 60,872 online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan from 2020 through 2024 as part of its annual TUP/Technology User Profile study. Within the survey, as part of detailing the home computers that respondents actively use, we gathered the price paid for any acquired as new in the previous 18 months. All prices were converted to US dollars for comparison, grouped into price ranges, and then reported by country and age generation.

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