US Smartphone Use in 2015

Today nearly two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone, and 19 percent of Americans rely to some degree on a smartphone for accessing online services and information and for staying connected to the world around them -- either because they lack broadband at home, or because they have few options for online access other than their cell phone. Indeed, 7 percent of Americans own a smartphone but have neither traditional broadband service at home, nor easily available alternatives for going online other than their cell phone. This report documents the unique circumstances of this “smartphone-dependent” population, and also explores the ways in which smartphone owners use their phones to engage in a wide range of activities.

Certain groups of Americans rely on smartphones for online access at elevated levels, in particular:

• Younger adults -- 15 percent of Americans ages 18-29 are heavily dependent on a smartphone for online access.
• Those with low household incomes and levels of educational attainment -- Some 13 percent of Americans with an annual household income of less than $30,000 per year are smartphone-dependent. Just 1 percent of Americans from households earning more than $75,000 per year rely on their smartphones to a similar degree for online access.
• Non-whites -- 12 percent of African Americans and 13 percent of Latinos are smartphone-dependent, compared with 4 percent of whites.