People use connected devices to be productive, actively engaging in a broad set of activities spread among their various devices. The use of smartphones for productivity is growing while the use of computers has flattened or is even in decline. Younger adults have embraced productivity activities, although Gen X and millennials use different types of devices to get things done.
This MetaFAQs reports on the number and percentage of online adults who regularly perform a set of productivity activities, from work file collaboration to appointment scheduling. These results are further split by mean age and generation and trended by age and device type for Americans from 2020 through 2023. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0126_prod] in TUP Lenses: Activities, Mobile Phones, PCs, User Profile, Devices, Communication
Printer market highlights and trends
The printer market enjoyed an early pandemic bump, but the long-term decline in printer use has returned, following the decline in computer use and the increase in smartphone, cloud, and social network usage. The latest generation – Gen Z – has not embraced printing, and when they do print, it’s often with a borrowed printer or printing service. A focus on certain groups of productivity and classic printing activities may renew attention to printing.
This TUPdate presentation highlights trends in the market demand for printers and printing, drawing on results from TUP in 2010 to the present, which are based on surveys of over 105,000 American online adults. In addition to printer-specific brands and printing activities, it includes the long-term trends affecting printers. These trends include: the growing shift to smartphone use, the declining use of personal computers, and the habits and preferences of later generations (Gen Z) versus those of earlier generations (Boomers and Silent Generation). It provides a review of printers in the market, who’s using them, why they’re using them (or not), and how forces in the economy and long-term trends in technology usage have an impact on the printer market. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0125_prtr] in TUP Lenses: Printers; Activities; User Profile
Game playing is widespread, although platform choices vary by generation
Playing games on an active, if casual, basis continues to be widespread, even as the choice of platforms is shifting. The worldwide and American trend away from regular PC use is affecting game playing and entertainment as much as productivity and creative activities. This year marks the first time that more American game players use a game console than a home PC.
This MetaFAQs reports on the number and percentage of online adults who regularly play immersive/action or other games using connected devices: a game console, home PC, gaming PC, primary PC, or smartphone. American adults are detailed by age generation and life phase: comprised of generation with educational and employment status. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0124_gami] in TUP Lenses: Activities, Game Consoles, Gaming PCs, and Game-Playing
Half of Americans use a smartphone for work
During the pandemic, the rapid flight to health, safety, and remote work caught many employers’ IT departments unprepared. Many workers did not have employer-provided computers or even home-owned ones, although the majority had smartphones. At the same time, much of the online population was already migrating many of their everyday activities away from computers to smartphones. Consequently, roughly half of online adults in the US and UK, and over 40% of those in Germany and Japan, regularly use their smartphones for work-related activities.
This MetaFAQ reports on the percentage of online adults that use a smartphone for a range of work-related activities, from checking email and participating in online meetings to phone and video calls. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0123_spwt] in TUP Lenses: Mobile Phones; Activities; Communication; Work/Life Balance
Creative activities niche may underpin AI for some
Generative AI has received much attention, and much of the hyperbole around widespread adoption rests on the assumption that people will suddenly become creative. A more likely adoption scenario is that the users already actively creating content will be the first to incorporate any AI into their workflows.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults worldwide and in the US who regularly do any of a set of selected creative activities—creating graphics or presentations or using professional creative software—further split by whether the activities are for personal or work-related needs. This is split by device type, age, and generation and trended from 2020 to 2023. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0122_crea] in TUP Lenses: Activities, User Profile
Game consoles continue among the young at heart after an early pandemic surge
The active use of a game console is primarily the domain of younger adults. However, the entertainment devices are not limited to the youngest adults as market penetration remains nearly as high among 40-somethings as among the age 18 to 24 adult. Following the onset of the pandemic, game console penetration reached new highs among most age groups and countries, only to settle back towards historical levels.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults actively using a game console split by age group and country. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0216_yapt] in TUP Lenses: User Profile; Game Consoles, Gaming PCs, and Game-Playing
Gen Z and millennial voices are heard, by assistants
Voice commands preceded the hype of AI with the promise that technology users would be able to get things done with their voices. Market reception was robust initially, then sagged, and has since returned to moderate levels among certain age groups. A skew toward higher market penetration among younger adults is apparent in the US and UK but less in Germany and China.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults who use a voice assistant through their primary connected device – a smartphone, computer, tablet, or game console, divided by age group and country. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0113_yvoi] in TUP Lenses: Mobile Phones; Consumer Electronics; User Profile; Activities; Technology Ecosystems; Wearables, Hearables, Listening, and Speaking
Generation gap in home computer use for work
Following the onset of the pandemic, remote working suddenly became more widespread. Varied levels of remote working continue, although the situation continues to be in flux as employers shift their policies. To continue to be productive, many remote workers pressed their home computers into the service of their employer, regularly using them for work-related activities. Interestingly, in most countries surveyed, a higher share of younger adults use home computers for work than older adults do.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults using a home computer for work-related activities, from videoconferencing to preparing reports or presentations. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0107_yhwk] in TUP Lenses: User Profile; Households; Activities; Work/Life Balance
Smaller employers rely on workers’ home PCs
During the pandemic, as workers began to work from home, they shifted rapidly to use whatever technology they had. Even after many employees have returned to the workplace, whether on a regular or hybrid basis, the share of workers using a home PC for work continues to outnumber those using an employer-provided PC. The trend in the gap between home and work PCs has narrowed within some sectors, namely in the US and Japan among larger employers, and remains wide among smaller employers around the world.
This MetaFAQ reports on the percentage of workers – full-time, part-time, or self-employed – who use a home PC for work-related activities as compared to those using a work PC for work-related activities, split by the size of the employer. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0103_byot] in TUP Lenses: PCs; User Profile; Activities; Work/Life Balance
Modern communication shifts to coalesce around three modes
Communication methods have evolved over the past few decades. While landlines were once predominant, they’ve now taken a back seat. Asynchronous communication, like email, offers the advantage of connecting without simultaneous availability, often more convenient and effective. Text messaging, in particular, has experienced a significant rise, now standing as a leading communication method alongside emails.
Interestingly, while smartphones are labeled “”phones,”” their initial use leaned more toward texting than calling. However, synchronous communication methods are making a comeback on these devices. Email, text messaging, and phone calls share nearly equal user numbers, showcasing varied preferences among users.
Our communication choices often depend on reciprocation, given its two-way nature. As a result, user groups may flock together toward specific communication modes, either adopting new methods or moving away from older ones.
Later generations, specifically Gen Z, have been experimenting with alternative communication modes beyond email, texting, and phone calls, only recently returning to levels nearly as high as those before the onset of the pandemic. Earlier generations have increased their use of these three communication modes even while navigating a shift from computers to smartphones.
This TUPdate reports on the share of online adults using their connected devices for any of the three major communication activities – personal phone calls, emails, or text messages. It reports on the trends from 2017 through 2023, highlighting the shifts that took place following the onset of the pandemic. Furthermore, it details the differences in communication behaviors between generational age groups. Report [TUP_doc_2023_1212_comt] in TUP Lenses: Activities; Communication