New data from the Pew Internet Project finds that over one-third of American adults – 35% – own a smartphone. Smartphone ownership is highest among the well-off, the well-educated, the (relatively) young, and non-whites. Fifty-nine percent of adults in households earning $75,000 or more have smartphones, nearly half – 48% – of those with a college degree own smartphones, and 44% of blacks and Latinos in the US are smartphone owners.
Those living in urban or suburban areas are also nearly twice as likely to own a smartphone as those living in rural areas.
The age breakdown:
- 49% of Americans between the ages of 18-24 own a smartphone
- 58% of those 25 and 34
- 44% of those ages 35-44
Around 87% of smartphone owners access the internet or email on their mobile, and 68% do so on a typical day. However, mobile phones are a main source of internet access for only one-quarter of the smartphone population. Of that 25%, about one third lack a high-speed home broadband connection. These ‘mostly mobile’ internet users tend to be young (under 30), non-white, and of lower income and education levels.
In terms of platforms, Android is the most common smartphone platform, followed by iPhone and Blackberry devices. Android phones are especially common among young adults and African-Americans, while iPhones and Blackberry devices are most prevalent among college graduates and the affluent.
The Pew data is based on a national telephone survey of 2,277 adults conducted April 26-May 22, 2011. . Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish.
