12/7/12
More than eight in 10 U.S. adults (85%) own cell phones, according to the Pew Research Center. The majority of cell phone owners (56%) access the Internet via their phones. More than half of cell phone owners (53%) have smartphones.
Hispanics (66%) are more likely than non-Hispanic Whites (52%) or Blacks (60%) to have Internet access on their mobile phones. Blacks (50%) are more likely than Whites (40%) or Hispanics (44%) to download apps to their phones. Hispanics (35%) and Blacks (34%) are more likely than Whites (26%) to use mobile banking.
Apart from voice usage, taking photos and sending or receiving text messages are the most widely practiced cell phone activities. There are significant variations by age. For example, nearly all 18-29-year-olds use their phones for text messaging, compared with just over a third of those age 65 and older.
Usage of cell phones for online functions such as accessing the Internet or checking email increases with education and household income, though more than half of cell phone owners (52%) with annual incomes below $30,000 have Internet access on their phones.
Source: “Cell Phone Activities 2012,” November 2012, Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet & American Life Project, Pew Research Center, 1615 L St., NW, #700, Washington, DC 20036; 202-419-4500; info@pewinternet.org; www.pewinternet.org
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