There has been a sea change in which connected devices people use as well as how they use them. This TUP Highlights report details the trends in device ownership, the shifts between technology ecosystems, and market penetration levels. It spells out the major activities for each type of device, and how usage has changed. Furthermore, it details how many employees use personal devices for remote work.
Technology profile of low income renters
During the pandemic, low-income American renters were a large segment of Americans strongly disrupted by shutdowns, work interruptions, and even evictions. This historically socioeconomically disadvantaged market segment has the potential to benefit from technology that can enable less dangerous occupations, although starting from lower-than-average market penetration levels. This MetaFacts TUPdate report details how far below average this segment is in their use of connected devices, which types of devices they are (and aren’t) using, and how often they’re using what they have. Furthermore, it quantifies how many online adults in this segment do (and don’t) work from home.
Smart speakers among young and old
How deeply have smart speakers penetrated technology users’ lives? From 2019 to 2021, has market penetration shifted very much? Which age group has adopted smart speakers more quickly and deeply than others? How different is this in the US than in the UK or Germany or Japan? This TUP analysis reports on the percentage of online adults that actively use a smart speaker.
Technology profile of Asian American college graduates
The COVID pandemic made clear many socioeconomic inequities between Americans, as the impact of the virus was felt differently in great part depending on their educational attainment, occupation, employment status, and other factors.
This TUPdate focuses on one segment – Americans aged 18 and older who have graduated college and identify as Asian – reporting their market size and profiling their usage of connected devices, which devices they do or don’t use, how much they use them, and the intensity of changes since before the pandemic.
Online banking among socioeconomic groups
Using smartphones, PCs, or other connected devices for online banking is widespread, but not ubiquitous. Fewer American adults with lower income or less educational attainment use online banking than those with higher income or technically savvy. This MetaFAQs reports on the active usage of online banking among socioeconomically disadvantaged and advantaged groups, each defined by a combination of household income, educational attainment, homeownership, ethnicity, age, employment status, racial/ethnic identity, and other factors.
Breadth of voice assistant usage
Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, December 13, 2021
Actively using a voice assistant or smart speaker
- This analysis focuses on those people who are actively using a voice assistant or smart speaker
- Have used a connected device to use a voice assistant within the previous month
- Smartphone, PC, or tablet
- Have a smart speaker
- Have used a connected device to use a voice assistant within the previous month
- Base: all online adults
Active voice assistant usage by platform – US
- The overall use of a voice assistant or smart speaker has only slightly increased between 2019 and 2021
- Smart speaker usage has grown the most among American online adults, rising from 11% in 2019 to 19% in 2021
- Voice assistant usage with other connected devices has not changed markedly
- Voice assistant usage with a smartphone continues to outpace smart speaker use
Technology profile of upper-income (>$150k) white male Americans
During the pandemic, socioeconomically advantaged groups changed their collection and usage of technology devices differently than historically disadvantaged groups. White male upper-income Americans already had higher-than-average technology device penetration. However, they have also been the first to reduce usage between 2020 and 2021. This TUPdate reports on this group’s status and change in connected devices by type – PCs, home PCs, work PCs, smartphones, game consoles, tablets, and feature phones. It also reports their work-from-home status, hourly device usage, number of devices, and market size.
On-device video and movie watching among socioeconomic groups
Smartphones, tablets, and PCs are increasingly used to watch movies and videos. However, it is a regressive activity, being done more often among socioeconomically disadvantaged than advantaged groups. This MetaFAQs reports on the share of Americans regularly using their connected devices to watch movies and videos both before the pandemic (TUP 2019) and through 2021. The groups being reported consider age group, employment status, household size, ethnicity, presence of children, educational attainment, and other socioeconomic factors.
VR headset adoption
VR headsets are slowly and unsteadily working their way onto the heads of online adults. This TUPdate shows how penetration has expanded (and contracted) since 2018. By reviewing the activities that VR headset users do with their other connected devices – smartphones, PCs, tablets, or game consoles – this TUPdate profiles just who these VR headset early adopters are. Their creative, fun, collaborative, and educational activities point the way to possible hotspots of VR headset adoption.
Technology profile of Black Americans aged 18-49
The COVID pandemic made clear many socioeconomic inequities between Americans, as the impact of the virus was felt differently in great part depending on their educational attainment, occupation, employment status, and other factors.
This TUPdate focuses on one segment – Americans aged 18 to 49 who identify as Black or African-American – reporting their market size and profiling their usage of connected devices, which devices they do or don’t use, how much they use them, and the intensity of changes since before the pandemic.