Cell phones and American adults

Texting by American adults has increased substantially over the past year, but still does not approach the magnitude of text messages exchanged by adolescents. Some 72% of adult cell phone users send and receive text messages now, up from 65% in September 2009. Fully 87% of teen cell users text. Teens text 50 messages a day on average, five times more than the typical 10 text messages sent and received by adults per day. Still, for most adults, voice calling is their primary use of the phone. They make and receive about 5 calls per day on average.

• African American and English-speaking Hispanics are more likely to own a cell phone and to use their handset more intensively than their white counterparts.
• 87% of African Americans and English-speaking Hispanics own cell phones, compared to 80% of whites.
• 12% of African American and 14% of English-speaking Hispanics make and receive more than 30 calls a day on their mobile phones. 4% of whites report placing and receive that many calls.
• African American and Hispanic texters typical send and receive 10 texts a day; whites who text typically send and receive 5 texts a day.

For all of their enthusiasm for texting and talking on their cells, Americans have mixed feelings about the role of the mobile phone in their lives. Most cell users report that their cell phone makes them feel safer (91%), and that they appreciate the way it allows them to arrange plans with family and friends (88% agree.) But mobile phone users also report that they get irritated when a call or text interrupts them (42%) and that they find it rude when others check their phones repeatedly during meetings or conversations (86%).