According to a new report on Wireless Internet Use released by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, a whopping 56% of Americans report having used some type of mobile device (laptop, cell phones, e-book reader, game console) as a means to gain access to the mobile web.
While this report wasn't focused on youth use of the mobile web and wireless devices, there are some data points that will be of interest to youth media and marketing community:
- The 11% of online users who have Twitter accounts or monitor Twitter
updates are twice as likely as the average to say that sharing or
posting content is very important to why they value mobile access.
- One in six (17%) say they see posting or sharing content as a very important dimension to mobile access.
- 61% of those between the ages of 18 and 29 have laptops and 55% have used it to connect to the internet on a wireless network.
- When asked to cite why the value the wireless web, younger users (18-29), more so than all the other age demographics, cited the ability to stay in touch and connect with their friends as a very important factor in what the mobile web offers.
- 53% of those between the ages of 18 and 29 have used the internet on a mobile or hand held device.
Other Key Insights
- 39% of all Americans have used a laptop computer to go online wirelessly, making this the primary access point of wireless access.
- 32% of all Americans have gotten online with a mobile device – meaning they have used a cell phone or other hand held device to check email, access the internet for information, or send instant messages.
- 51% of all Americans who connect to a wireless web connection have used either a mobile phone or laptop computer.
- African Americans are now the most active users of the mobile Internet, with 48 percent having used the Internet on a mobile device, and 29 percent claiming to go online with a hand held every day.
- English-speaking Hispanics are the heaviest users of wireless onramps to the internet.
- For the majority of white Americans (88%), online access is likely to occur on a broadband connection at home with a laptop or desktop computer.
What Devices Are People Using to Connect to the Mobile Web
- 45% of adults have iPods or MP3 players, but only 5% of adults have used such a device to go online.
- 41% of adults have game consoles and 9% of adults have used it to go online.
- 14% of adults say they have a personal digital assistant and 7% of adults have used a PDA to go online.
- 2% of adults say they own an e-book reader – a Kindle or a Sony reader – and just 1% of all adults have used it to access the internet.
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