Exterion has unveiled the results of its latest Work.Shop.Play survey on the phone usage and habits of 5,200 panel members in September 2018.
The survey gives insights into phone plan costs, device and App usage as well as the impact of phone use on consumer behaviour.
According to the survey 68% of respondents feel they are too dependent on their phone and recognise the impact it has on their lives. In addition, some 28% of the Work.Shop.Play community feel that their phone use is affecting their relationships with family and friends – 22% get annoyed by friends who constantly check for updates on a night out.
Just over one third of respondents to the survey believe there is a decline in the use of social media in comparison to a year ago. This decline is most marked on Facebook (65%) and Snapchat (35%) with the drop being most noticeable among 16-34 year old Snapchat users (48%).
The survey also indicates a decline in the art of conversation – 43% of Urbanites would rather not talk on their phone. Texting is their preferred method of communication with 58% opting for WhatsApp over the phone’s own messenger service.
The Urbanite’s choice of App groups is reflective of how mobile our lives have become with Social (80%), Email (68%), Maps (60%), Music (55%) and Banking (52%) making up the top five App groups. The high use of Transport Apps supports this mobility with 76% of respondents from Leinster using a transport App. Dublin Bus App (59%) and Mytaxi App (21%) are the most popular amongst respondents.
However the survey also revealed a shadier side to phone use. 64% admitted to having been Facebook creeped or Insta stalked on their phones at some stage. In addition 45% have admitted to “drunk texting/phoning” after a night out with 2 out of 5 admitting to sneaking a peak at their partner’s text messages.
Commenting on the findings, Antoinette O’Callaghan, marketing manager of Exterion Media said: “It’s quite interesting to see the decline in use of some social platforms. While the drop-off in use is greatest amongst Facebook users there has been a significant desertion of Snapchat by younger audiences. Irrespective of which social platform people are loyal to, the results of the study have made it clear that communicating, whether by phone, text, social or email, is our top priority.”
The two-part survey was issued to the 5,200 strong Work.Shop.Play panel in September 2018. Work.Shop.Play is an award winning online consumer panel, operated by Exterion Media. Members of the panel are invited to take part in regular surveys that deliver insights into the everyday lives of Out-of-Home audiences in Ireland.
