The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project recently conducted a survey on smartphone adoption and usage.
As the Church’s digital specialists, it’s important to know who is using what tech and how much.
- Does it matter if your website is mobile friendly?
- Would it be convenient for members to tithe via their smartphone?
- Should Churches care if their members use smartphones during service?
Hopefully, these statistics may help you make some educated decisions.
- 83% of Americans have a mobile phone.
- 42% of cell phone owners use a smartphone.
This means that 35% of American adults own a smartphone.
Whoa.
Here are some raw figures:
Age Differences
- 58% of 25-34 year olds own a smartphone.
- Only 10% of seniors own a smartphone.
Income Differences
Those with an annual household income of $150,000 plus, are 3 1/2 times as likely to own a smartphone than those with an annual household income $10,000 or less.
A household income of $75,000 is the approximate point at which Americans are more likely to own a smartphone than not—more than half of Americans above this income level are smartphone owners, and cell phone ownership in general is near-ubiquitous (95% or more) past this point in the income distribution.
It’s interesting to look at how the age groups break-down with those who make less than $30,000 per year:
Other Factors
African-Americans and Latinos are more likely than whites to use their cell phones for non-voice applications such as using the internet, playing games, or accessing multimedia content. These differences extend to smartphone ownership as well, as 44% of black and Latino adults are smartphone owners, compared with 30% of whites.
Employment status is also linked to smartphone ownership.
Nearly half of full-time employees (48%) have a smartphone of some kind, as do 38% of those who are employed part-time. Roughly one quarter of those who are not employed for pay (27%) have this type of device, while just 13% of retirees do so.
Smartphone Owners and Other Tech
8 of 10 smartphone owners also own a laptop, ebook reader and tablet computer.
In a Word
Phone owners were asked to describe their phone in one word.
This was the result:
What word would you use?
Conclusion
The Church must care about smartphone use.
People are using them and we need to take notice.
- We can reach the lost through new media.
- Build Church tools for knowing and growing.
- Devise wise policies.
- Acknowledge potential pitfalls.
Why do you think the Church should or shouldn’t care about smartphone use?
[via Pew Forum]
Graham says
Great post Eric. I would love to see my congregation get more involved in smartphone usage, be it online giving, Bible study or more. Our website is mobile friendly thanks to Cloversites.
Eric Dye says
Thanks, Graham!
Alexandra says
This is certainly a very valid topic as I’ve asked that question many times.
I sometimes post a Facebook Question on our Page to find out more what our fans are using to connect with us on Facebook as well as our website. Mobile, Smartphone, PC, iPad.
I think its very important that we “meet” our partners (online as well as in the congregation) where they are by utilizing the technology we have available to us.
Eric Dye says
Good thoughts, Alexandra. Thanks for sharing!