Americans are becoming increasingly reliant on their smartphones, according to a new study. The study, from the Pew Research Center, also found that while Americans rely on their smartphones, they often find the cost of these phones to be a little too steep.
Researchers found that smartphone ownership in America is also up with 64 percent of the population owning a smartphone. That is almost double the percentage from 2011.
Of the people that were surveyed, 15 percent said they had a smartphone and limited access to the Internet from another device. Ten percent said they did not have broadband Internet access at home.
Researchers at the Pew Research Center found that one out of every 14 Americans rely on their smartphones for connectivity and had no high-speed Internet access at home and very little access elsewhere.
The majority of smartphone dependent Americans are young adults with 15 percent of those falling into the 18-29 age range. They also found that the group was often those with lower incomes and often have trouble paying their bill. The study found that around 23 percent of smartphone owners had to cancel or suspend their account for financial reasons and 15 percent often reach their maximum allowed data limit on their plan.
"Compared with smartphone owners who are less reliant on their mobile devices, these smartphone dependent users are less likely to own some other type of computing device, less likely to have a bank account, less likely to be covered by health insurance and more likely to rent or to live with a friend or family member rather than own their own home," the researchers said in their report.
"The connections to online resources that smartphones facilitate are often most tenuous for those users who rely on the connections the most," Aaron Smith, a Pew researcher, said. "A substantial minority of Americans indicate that their phone plays a central role in their ability to access digital services and online content, but for many users, this access may not be available when they need it due financial stresses or technical constraints."
Less than half of the people surveyed said they could live without their smartphone with 93 percent saying that it is useful.
Americans also have many different uses for their devices. Researchers found low income Americans use it for work or two find a job. The study also learned that 62 percent of smartphone owners use their device to look up health information and 57 percent use it for banking. More than two thirds of users read the latest news with their smartphones while 67 percent use it as a GPS while driving.
For the study, researchers conducted telephone interview of over 2,000 people in December 2014.
