Fun is a core activity drawing many people to use and enjoy their connected devices. While game consoles get a lot of focused attention, a substantially larger number of people regularly play games with their smartphones, PCs, and tablets. This MetaFAQs report details the number of adults playing games with connected devices as compared to those using game consoles. Furthermore, it splits these by age group.
Average number of tablets being used among socioeconomic groups
How different are advantaged from disadvantaged Americans in how many tablets they use? How much has this changed since before the pandemic? How do historically socioeconomically advantaged groups such as high-income or college graduates compare to disadvantaged groups such as single parents, low-income, lesser-educated, elderly, or ethnic groups? This TUP analysis reports on the number of tablets actively used within each socioeconomic group.
Wearables penetration by country
Wearables have moved into the mainstream, reaching the wrists and ears of half of Americans. Penetration rates are not as high among online adults in Germany, the UK, or Japan. Also, smartwatches are not universally adopted. This MetaFAQs reports on the penetration rate of Bluetooth headsets, smartwatches, and electronic activity trackers among online adults by country.
Communication activities by age group
Among the many ways people use their connected devices, communication remains central to most users’ activities. Communication became more important than ever as employees working from home sought to collaborate and meet during the pandemic. Simultaneously, people not employed outside the home reached out for connections and information. From video calls to group meetings such as using Zoom or Microsoft Teams, many users shifted their communication patterns and adopted new tools. This MetaFAQs report details the market penetration of regular use of many types of communication tools across the US, UK, Germany, and Japan, each split by age group.
Smartphone penetration by socioeconomic groups
How different are advantaged from disadvantaged Americans in whether or not they use a smartphone? How much has this changed since before the pandemic? How do historically socioeconomically advantaged groups such as high-income or college graduates compare to disadvantaged groups such as single parents, low-income, less-educated, elderly, or people of color? This TUP analysis reports on the penetration of smartphones within each socioeconomic group.
Trends in technology ecosystems
Among online Americans, Smartphones have reached the same penetration rate as PCs, partly due to some segments where PC usage has declined. Apple has propelled much of this growth, outpacing Android smartphones in nearly every segment. Windows PCs, while still dominant, have been gradually losing their lead and penetration rates among most segments. Usage of tablets has continued its slow decline, primarily due to lowered market penetration of iPads within most market segments.
Shift in device hours by socioeconomic groups
How different are advantaged from disadvantaged Americans in how intensively they use their technology devices? How much has this changed since before the pandemic? How do historically socioeconomically advantaged groups such as high-income or college graduates compare to disadvantaged groups such as single parents, low-income, less-educated, elderly, or people of color? This TUP analysis reports on the average number of hours connected devices – mobile phones, computers, and tablets – being used by each socioeconomic group.
Profile of Americans playing games using a connected device
Game-playing is more widespread than many people realize; a regular activity of 128.8 million online Americans. Those who only follow game consoles may not realize the extent of game-playing extending to smartphones, PCs, and tablets. Game-playing is an everyday activity for 59% of online Americans. This MetaFAQs profiles the group of game-players using connected devices, detailing the critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age, age within gender, employment status, household size, and life stage.
Smart watch penetration among socioeconomic groups
Active use of a smartwatch grew strongly among Americans, rising from 20% of online Americans in 2018 prior to the pandemic and reaching 27% in 2021. Growth has not been uniform, however, as some groups have penetration of two-thirds where others are less than five percent. This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of Americans regularly using a smartwatch by socioeconomic group. The groups being reported consider age group, employment status, household size, ethnicity, presence of children, educational attainment, and other socioeconomic factors.
Declining hours of connected device use
After peaking at the start of the COVID pandemic, the hours online adults use their connected devices have broadly declined. Across the US, Germany, and the UK, total device hours have even dropped below their pre-pandemic levels. This MetaFAQs report, based on the results of TUP research from 2016 through 2021, details the hours spent using home PCs, work PCs, smartphones, and tablets and how those hours have shifted.