Young Adults More Likely to Own Smartphone Than PC
68% of US adults ages 18 and older own a smartphone
November 6, 2015
There is a proliferation of devices in the marketplace. When it comes to ownership, young adults ages 18 to 29 are more likely to own a mobile phone or smartphone than a desktop or laptop, pointing to how mobile is becoming an all-purpose device that users are increasingly relying on.
According to a July 2015 survey by the Pew Research Center, ownership of desktop and laptops, game consoles and MP3 players among US young adults has dropped since 2010. Alternatively, smartphone ownership among these respondents has grown from 52% in 2011 to 86% in 2015.
Analyzing further, fully 68% of US adults ages 18 and older own a smartphone, and roughly nine in 10 US adults own a mobile phone. While mobile phone ownership is nearing saturation, smartphone ownership is steadily growing. In fact, among US mobile phone owners in 2015, 73% have a smartphone.
Tablet ownership is also increasing. As of April 2015, a total of 45% of respondents owned a tablet device, while only 19% own an ereader. Indeed, ereader ownership is declining. It was growing steadily year over year, and in January 2014, 32% of US adults owned one. But, ownership decreased to 19% in April 2015.
Separate research by Digitalsmiths also found that smartphone and tablet ownership is rising among internet users in North America. Smartphone ownership increased from 64.8% in Q2 2014 to 66.8% in Q2 2015. Moreover, tablet ownership grew from 46.4% in Q2 2014 to 52.6% in Q2 2015.