The number of texters have increased in America, and the latest study finds that 72 percent of adults in the U.S. are now texting. Some are citing the higher prices of a la carte pay as you go texting options and the lower prices of unlimited texting plans as reasons for the increase in the number of texting adults, but one thing’s for sure–the technology is catching on.
According to the “Cell Phones and American Adults” study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, the number of American adult texters have increased year over year. This year, we’re seeing 72% of adults texting, up from 65% last year and 58% in 2007. But adults aren’t the only ones texting. In fact, for every ten SMS messages that adults send or receive, teens are sending 50.
“We’ve reached a point where enough other people are texting that (adults) are drawn into using it because they can finally use it to communicate with a substantial number of their friends and family,” said Amanda Lenhart, Pew senior research specialist.
Despite the growing ubiquity of texting as a new, and arguably effective way, of communicating, not all is good. The Pew study reports that 27% of adults and 26% of teens also admit to performing the distractive behaviour while driving.
Here are some additional results, as reported by MSNBC:
- 57 percent of adults report “receiving unwanted or spam text messages” on their phones.
- 90 percent of parents have a cell phone, compared with 72 percent of adults without children under the age of 18 at home.
- For “most adults, voice calling is their primary use of the phone. They make and receive about 5 calls per day on average.”
- 87 percent of African Americans and English-speaking Hispanics own a cell phone in the United States, compared to 80 percent of whites, Pew said.
And as for as sleeping with, or next to, a cell phone? Pew says that this behaviour is most prevalent in younger adults and teens, but is found in other adults as well. 70% of 30-49-year-olds sleep with or next to a phone as do 50% of 50-64-year-olds.
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