Gallup: 58% of Americans say they ‘overuse’ smartphones

A recent Gallup poll found that 58% of American adults believe they use their smartphone “too much”. Each age group surveyed showed more concern about the time they spent on their phones, whether for work, streaming video or gaming.

A recent Gallup poll shows that 58 percent of American adults believe they “overuse” their smartphone, up from just 39 percent in 2015. All age groups are more likely to voice concerns about how long they use their phones.

The survey shows that not only young people, but also people of different age groups are worried about using phones:

This view was quite age-related in 2015, and it still is today. however, all age groups became more likely to express this concern. Also, this belief is not limited to 20-year-olds; Smartphone users aged 30 to 49 (74%) outnumber users aged 18 to 29 (81%) because they spend so much time on their phones. This is in contrast to the 47% of people aged 50 to 64 and 30% of people aged 65 and over.

As in 2015, the difference between adults thinking they’re abusing their smartphones is that 60% of women and 56% of men now say so.

The most recent results are from a self-guided web survey of over 30,000 American adults conducted between January and February 2022. 97 percent of respondents said they own a smartphone, compared to 81 percent in the 2015 survey.

While many adults believe they use their smartphones too much, nearly two-thirds believe a smartphone has improved their lives. 21% said it’s made their life better, and 44% said it’s made it “somewhat” better. That’s a reduction from the 72 percent net income earned in 2015.

12% say smartphones have made their lives worse to some degree, double the number in 2015. Other key facts of the survey include:

• Half of Americans agree with the statement “I can’t imagine my life without a smartphone,” which has barely changed from 47% seven years ago.
• The proportion of those who say they will experience anxiety if they lose their phone, a potential indicator of smartphone addiction, has increased from 42% in 2015 to 44% today.
• As of 2015 (82%), just over eight in ten adults (83%) say they often put their smartphones with them during their waking hours.

Read the full Gallup survey here.