Bank of America have released their third annual “Trends in Consumer Mobility” Report, which is designed to highlight how America’s adults interact and use their smartphones. For 2016, the Bank cites that many Americans are “overwhelmingly” reliant on their device(s) to navigate everyday life. Indeed, the statistics showed that more than half of Americans have two or more devices, with almost one quarter owning three. The Bank’s Report also highlights that many Americans consider themselves to be respectful users of their smartphones, but that other people are much less so.
One key focus of the report is how Millennial’s behavior around their smartphone is different to the overall population. The Report discusses our separation anxiety issues, with 29% of Americans feeling anxious when they do not have immediate access to their smartphone. 22% feel bored, 13% have a fear of missing out and 12% feel relieved. However, for the Millennials, these numbers rise to 39% feel anxious, 43% are bored, 25% fear they are missing out and 20% feel relief. These numbers appear to show that Millennials have a closer relationship with their smartphone and other personal technology compared with the overall population. We are also changing how we use our smartphone; for example, two thirds of Americans will use their smartphone for navigation and directions rather than asking somebody, one quarter use it to order food and around half use it to book travel and schedule appointments.
Some of the more interesting statistics include how the population use their smartphones to avoid conversation in a number of circumstances. For example, on a date, 9% of people use their smartphone to avoid a conversation (rising to 17% for Millennials), whereas at a family holiday gathering this figure rises to 25% for the overall population and 40% for Millennials. These statistics should not come as a surprise for many of us, as in today’s no-smoking society, the smartphone is replacing the act of lighting a cigarette as a sign that you do not wish to engage with the world at large.
Of course, with the report being sponsored by the Bank of America, there is a significant proportion devoted to how Americans use their personal technology to manage their finances. The Bank found that 84% of people use their mobile banking application at least weekly to keep on track with their accounts; one in three of the population access their account data at least daily, but this figure rises to almost half of Millennials. 41% of people explained that their access to a mobile Banking application reduced financial stress but 15% reported that it increased stress. The Bank of America also discovered that 71% of people took action because of a mobile banking alert. 41% of people don’t think that today’s under-18s will use a physical credit card and 51% of people believe we are heading towards a cashless society. You can read the full report at the source link below, which has some interesting statistics – and reflects some of the differences in today’s society as to what and how people are using their technology.