Americans continue trend with more smartphone than computer hours

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, March 4, 2024

Summary

There is a certain stability among Americans, at least when it comes to the many hours they use connected devices. Since 2019, Americans used a collection of connected devices – computers, smartphones, and tablets – for more than 10 billion weekly hours. This number has remained largely steady in total, although it has shifted between the types of devices Americans use. Computers have continued to decline in use as Americans increasingly turn to smartphones.

This MetaFAQs reports on the millions of weekly hours Americans use smartphones, computers, and tablets, as well as the mean hours they use these devices.

A stable total with underlying shifts

  • The total number of hours Americans use smartphones grew strongly from 2019 through 2022, and has leveled off in 2023. Total smartphone hours surpassed hours using computers in 2022, mostly due to reduced computer usage.
  • Hours using tablets has remained a steady, if minor, part of the American experience.
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How American generations use smartphones

People continue to engrain smartphones further into their lives, relying on them for communication and many other activities. No single communication mode has reached singularity, and instead the top activities include text messaging, personal email, and even personal phone calls. Later generations have the highest regular use of social networking activity, while earlier generations are increasingly using smartphones for online shopping and banking. Video calls have only emerged as a top activity among one generational group.

This MetaFAQ reports on how Americans use smartphones. It shows the percentage of Americans doing any of the top ten smartphone activities. Further, it compares these percentages to how smartphone users use them worldwide. For Americans, it also splits these activities by generational group, identifying each group’s top ten activities and the three activities that have expanded the most since 2019. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0212_spac] in TUP Lenses: Devices; PCs; Mobile Phones; Activities; Communication

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Remote workers pay their own phone bills

Most remote workers cover their smartphone costs, even for work use. That is true regardless of whether they use their smartphones for work-related activities. For a fraction of workers whose fees are curtailed by the employer, workers in the UK have the highest share of being supported for their 2nd smartphone, with workers in Germany being a close second. Workers in Japan have the highest share of reimbursement for their primary smartphone. This compares to the related finding that home computers used for work are also primarily paid for by the worker, not the employer.

This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online workers– full-time, part-time, or self-employed– who have their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd smartphone’s fees paid for or reimbursed by their employer, for the US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0207_empc] in TUP Lenses: Mobile Phones; Work/Life Balance

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Tech buying plan trends are stronger among remote workers

With the onset of the pandemic, remote workers rushed to outfit their homes or remote working locations with technology to help them communicate, work, and otherwise be productive. During this time, not all workers could acquire the technology they wanted since only in some cases did employers provide the desired technology. Following this peak, most interest in tech buying plans has waned and reverted to the mean.

This MetaFAQs reports on the purchase plans for remote workers within the next twelve months. It includes mobile phones (smartphones and feature phones), computers (desktops and laptops), tablets, and printers from 2020 through 2023. Each trend is also compared to workers who never work remotely. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0127_plat] in TUP Lenses: Devices; PCs; Mobile Phones; Tablets; Consumer Electronics; Printers; Work/Life Balance

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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.