PCCA Journal|2
nd
Quarter 2015
34
T
he Pew Research Center, based on a series of
surveys conducted in association with the John
S. and James L. Knight Foundation, recently
released findings on the state of smartphone
ownership in America today.
Today nearly two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone,
and 19 percent of Americans rely to some degree on a smart-
phone for accessing online services and information and for
staying connected to the world around them—either because
they lack broadband at home or because they have few op-
tions for online access other than their cell phone.
Indeed, 7 percent of Americans own a smartphone but
have neither traditional broadband service at home, nor eas-
ily available alternatives for going online other than their cell
phone. The Pew report documents the unique circumstances
of this “smartphone-dependent” population and also explores
the ways in which smartphone owners use their phones to
engage in a wide range of activities.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans are now smartphone own-
ers, and for many these devices are a key entry point to the
online world.
Some 64 percent of American adults now own a smart-
phone of some kind, up from 35 percent in the spring of 2011.
Smartphone ownership is especially high among younger
Americans, as well as those with relatively high income and
education levels.
The connections to online resources that smartphones
facilitate are often most tenuous for those users who rely on
those connections the most.
Even as a substantial minority of Americans indicate that
their phone plays a central role in their ability to access digi-
tal services and online content, for many users this access is
Pew Research Center
Looks at U.S. Smartphone Use
Telecom News
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