Wednesday 15 January 2003
Almost two in five people (38%) in Britain say they cannot do without their mobile phone. This compares with one in five (19%) who say they cannot do without their desktop computer, internet access (18%), email (17%) or text messaging (15%).
The research, conducted by MORI for Vodafone, shows two in four people (42%) say they rarely buy new technology products even if they have been available for a long time, and a quarter (24%) only buy them once most of their friends or family have them.
Looking only at those people who own/use a mobile phone, three in 10 (29%) only use it for urgent calls, and half (49%) say owning a mobile phone makes them feel safer and more secure.
Text messaging itself appears to be having an impact on the way people lead their lives. Two thirds (65%) of mobile phone owners/users send and receive text messages. Among text message users aged 15-44, more than a third (35%) say they have flirted by text, 31% have had an argument as a result of text messaging and 22% have had a date with someone as a result of text messaging.
Topline Results
- MORI interviewed a sample of 3,845 Adults aged 15+, in Great Britain, using MORI's Omnibus. Interviews were carried out face-to-face, in home. The data was weighted to match the known population profile. All interviews were conducted between 5-10 and 19-24 September 2002.
- Where figures do not sum to 100 per cent, this may be due to computer rounding, multiple codes or the exclusion of 'Don't Know'.
- An asterisk (*) denotes a finding of less than 0.5% but greater than 0.
- Base is all respondents (3,845) unless indicated otherwise.
Q1 Which of the items on this list could you not do without? And which others?
Base: All
| | % |
|---|
| Mobile phone | 38 |
| Text Messaging (SMS) | 15 |
| Desktop computer | 19 |
| Laptop computer | 7 |
| Voicemail | 8 |
| Fax machine | 5 |
| Teletext | 8 |
| Internet access | 18 |
| Email | 17 |
| Cable/Satellite/Digital TV | 15 |
| Digital camera | 5 |
| PlayStation or other games console | 7 |
| MP3 or MiniDisc player | 4 |
| DVD player | 7 |
| Other | 1 |
| Don't Know | 2 |
| None of these | 43 |
Q2 Which of the statements on this card best describes your attitude to buying new technology products?
Base: All
| | % |
|---|
| I buy new technology products soon after launch | 5 |
| I don't usually buy new technology products straight after launch, but I am often one of the first of my friends to own them | 19 |
| I do not buy new technology products until most of my friends or family have them | 24 |
| I rarely buy new technology products, even when they have been available for a long time | 42 |
| Don't Know | 2 |
| None of these | 8 |
Q3 When do you think the first mobile phones appeared in Britain?
Base: All
| | % |
|---|
| Within the last 5 years | 3 |
| Between 6 and 10 years ago | 17 |
| Between 11 and 15 years ago | 31 |
| Between 16 and 20 years ago | 28 |
| More than 20 years ago | 14 |
| Don't know | 7 |
Q4 Which statement or statements on this list apply to the way in which you use your mobile phone?
Base: Mobile phone owners/users (2,724)
| | % |
|---|
| I have a mobile phone which I do not use | 2 |
| I use a mobile phone only for urgent calls | 29 |
| I thought I would use a mobile phone only for urgent calls, but I am now using it more often than that | 13 |
| I use my mobile phone mainly for social calls, but I also use it for work | 8 |
| I use my mobile phone mainly for work, but I also make social calls | 7 |
| I use a mobile phone very frequently, but it is not my main phone | 13 |
| I use a mobile phone very frequently and it is probably my main phone | 9 |
| I use my mobile phone everyday — it's a complete lifeline for me | 14 |
| Other (please specify) | 4 |
| Don't Know | 1 |
Q5 Which of these features, if any, do you personally use on your mobile phone? And which others?
Base: Mobile phone owners/users (2,724)
| | % |
|---|
| Text messaging (sending and receiving SMS messages) | 65 |
| Predictive text messaging (i.e.. tapping in letters and the mobile phone guesses the word you are entering) | 17 |
| Receiving text-based (SMS) information services (e.g. news and sports results) | 20 |
| A built-in camera or camera attachment | 1 |
| Accessing WAP/mobile Internet services | 6 |
| Calculator provided on the handset | 21 |
| Radio provided on the handset | 3 |
| Games provided on the handset | 18 |
| Alarm clock | 34 |
| Storing phone numbers | 64 |
| Redirecting or forwarding calls to other numbers (e.g. to a landline) | 8 |
| Call waiting | 15 |
| Calendar/To-do list provided on the handset | 9 |
| Voicemail services | 35 |
| Using mobile phone, PDA or laptop together, to move files or to browse the Internet | 3 |
| None of these | 17 |
| Don't Know | 1 |
Q6 Which of these, if any, do you think it is possible to do these days using a mobile phone or a mobile device? And which others?
Base: All
Q7 Which of these, if any, would you like to be able to do now or in the future using a mobile phone or a mobile device? And which others?
Base: All
| | Q6 | Q7 |
|---|
| | % | % |
|---|
| Exchange photographs or digital pictures with friends and family | 60 | 24 |
| Send and receive emails to/from friends and family | 63 | 21 |
| Receive information and special offers from local shops and services | 35 | 13 |
| Listen to full-length music albums on the mobile phone | 30 | 16 |
| Find out information about services in the location I am (e.g. the nearest petrol station, newsagent etc) | 36 | 16 |
| View a picture of a product/service before you buy | 24 | 17 |
| Watch and/or send videos on the mobile phone screen | 21 | 14 |
| Do your grocery shopping and have it delivered at a convenient time | 30 | 16 |
| Access Internet sites on the World Wide Web | 55 | 15 |
| Receive sports results or news information with colour pictures, sound and text to a mobile phone | 53 | 12 |
| Be able to have live message-based chat with one or more friends or family members (i.e. 'instant messaging') | 40 | 14 |
| Access travel timetables while on the move | 37 | 18 |
| Vote in General or Local elections | 13 | 16 |
| Booking and paying for tickets using a mobile phone | 46 | 16 |
| None of these | 8 | 38 |
| Don't Know | 14 | 9 |
Picture messaging is a newly-available feature on some mobile phones which lets you take a colour picture using a tiny camera built-into or attached to the phone handset, and send it like a text message to other compatible mobile phones or email it to a PC.
Q8 Which of these on the list, if any, might you want to share with a friend or family member by sending or receiving a picture message?
Base: All
| | % |
|---|
| Birth of your child or child of a friend or family member | 36 |
| At a wedding | 38 |
| At a sporting event | 19 |
| While on holiday | 45 |
| Socialising/Going out | 22 |
| At an office party or work-related social event | 10 |
| Pictures of an intimate body part | 4 |
| While on a date or as a way of flirting with someone | 6 |
| While shopping | 9 |
| A good looking date | 10 |
| A friend or family member's partner being unfaithful | 7 |
| Other | * |
| None of these | 31 |
| Don't Know | 6 |
Q9 Which, if any, of the things on this list, have resulted from text messages you have sent or received?
Base: Text messaging users aged 15-44 (1,416)
| | % |
|---|
| Flirting by text message | 35 |
| A quick fling | 9 |
| A date with someone | 22 |
| An intimate encounter with someone | 9 |
| Start of a long-term relationship | 14 |
| An argument with someone | 31 |
| Marriage | 1 |
| End of a long-term relationship | 9 |
| Divorce or separation | 2 |
| | |
| None of these | 47 |
| Refused | 1 |
| Don't Know | 1 |
Q10 Which of the terms on this list do you understand when thinking about mobile telephones? And which others?
Base: All
| | % |
|---|
| 'WAP' (Wireless Application Protocol) | 45 |
| 'GPRS' (General Packet Radio Service) | 9 |
| 'SMS' (Short Message Service) | 47 |
| 'MMS' (Multimedia Messaging Service) | 14 |
| '3G' (Third generation mobile phones) | 17 |
| 'PDA' (Personal Digital Assistant) | 11 |
| 'GSM' (Global System for Mobile communications) | 20 |
| 'GPS' (Global Positioning System) | 27 |
| 'HSCSD' (High Speed Circuit Switched Data) | 4 |
| None of these | 34 |
| Don't Know | 4 |
Q11 Which two or three of the items on this list, if any, would your say are the most irritating or annoying things people do using mobile phones?
Base: All
| | % |
|---|
| Using the mobile phone whilst driving (without a hands-free kit) | 63 |
| Talking loudly on a mobile phone in a public place/on public transport | 50 |
| Using/playing with novelty ringtones | 21 |
| Playing noisy games on the handset | 10 |
| Using them in inappropriate places/at inappropriate times | 36 |
| Forgetting to turn them off in meetings/cinema/restaurant/ theatre | 43 |
| Letting their phone ring for a long period before answering | 15 |
| Sending rude or unwanted text messages | 15 |
| Other | 1 |
| None of these | 4 |
| Don't Know | 2 |
Q12 Which items on this list, if any, do you personally do when using your mobile phone?
Base: Mobile phone owners/users (2,724)
| | % |
|---|
| Ask the person you have called if they are free to talk | 32 |
| Switch off your mobile phone when in meetings, or in cinema/restaurants/theatre | 63 |
| Switch your mobile phone off whilst driving | 26 |
| Choose a discreet ringtone | 28 |
| Leave a room/public area to make or receive a call | 50 |
| Speak in a quiet/normal voice when making a call in public | 47 |
| Keep calls in public places as short as possible | 41 |
| Sending a text message rather than calling late at night | 40 |
| Other | * |
| None of these | 9 |
| Don't Know | 1 |
Q13 In which of the ways listed on this card, if any, have you personalised or customised your mobile phone? And which others?
Base: Mobile phone owners/users (2,724)
| | % |
|---|
| Changed the original ringtone to another one within the mobile phone's memory | 42 |
| Downloaded a ringtone to the mobile phone | 21 |
| Downloaded an image to the mobile phone | 10 |
| Amended the welcome message or logo when the phone is switched on | 24 |
| Set up or changed the PIN number | 28 |
| Recorded a personal voicemail/answerphone greeting | 21 |
| Changed the fascia or mobile phone cover | 20 |
| None of these | 37 |
| Don't Know | 1 |
Q14 Which of the statements on this card about mobile phones apply to you? And which others?
Base: Mobile phone owners/users (2,724)
| | % |
|---|
| I have customised and personalised my mobile phone so it reflects my personality and tastes | 15 |
| Calling people when I am travelling or waiting means that I can make better use of my free time | 21 |
| My mobile phone makes me feel safer and more secure | 49 |
| Mobile phones are useful in organising my social life | 24 |
| Calling people when I am travelling or waiting means that I talk to friends or family more often than I used to | 19 |
| I think of my mobile phone as a fashion item | 5 |
| I don't really care what my mobile phone looks like | 43 |
| I use my mobile phone for making or receiving voice calls only | 17 |
| I often use my mobile phone when I could easily use a fixed line at home, work or elsewhere | 14 |
| None of these | 12 |
| Don't Know | 1 |
Q15 Which of these developments in mobile phone technology might help you make more effective use of your phone? And which others?
Base: Mobile phone owners (2,688)
Q16 Which of the following developments in mobile phone technology might encourage you to get a mobile phone? And which others?
Base: Non mobile phone owners (1,157)
| | Q15 | Q16 |
|---|
| | % | % |
|---|
| Larger screens | 19 | 4 |
| Colour screens | 18 | 4 |
| The ability to take photos and exchange them with other mobile phone users | 19 | 5 |
| Facility to order products and services, and have them delivered at a convenient time | 14 | 4 |
| Easy access information about the area I am in e.g. local garage, or local tourist information | 25 | 5 |
| More realistic sounding ringtones available | 11 | 2 |
| Easy access to the Internet | 20 | 5 |
| Pay for products and services using a mobile phone e.g. from vending machines | 11 | 2 |
| More advanced real-time multi-player games | 5 | 2 |
| An easy-to-use icon-based interface that is more like a PC to use | 13 | 3 |
| Don't know | 6 | 7 |
| None of these | 35 | 76 |