Nearly one in five Americans now rely on their smartphones for Internet access.
Nineteen percent of Americans rely on their smartphone for Internet access — either because they lack broadband access at home or because they have few other options for online access, according to a new Pew Research Center report.
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Seven percent of Americans who own a smartphone have neither traditional broadband access at home nor available alternatives for Internet access other than their cell phone.
These so called “smartphone-dependent” users make up a unique demographic of Americans: younger adults, those with lower incomes and those who are less educated. African-Americans and Latinos fall into this “smartphone-dependent” group more than whites.
In particular:
• 15 percent of Americans aged 18-19 are heavily dependent on a smartphone for online access.
• 13 percent of Americans with an annual household income of less than $30,000 are smartphone-dependent. Only one percent of Americans from households earning more than $75,000 annually rely on their smartphones in such a way.
• 12 percent of African Americans and 13 percent of Latinos are smartphone-dependent, compared to four percent of whites.
Overall nearly two-thirds of Americans (64 percent) own a smartphone — up from 35 percent in spring 2011. Fifty-four percent of smartphone owners say their phone is “not always needed” compared to 46 percent who say it is something they “couldn’t live without.”
