A recent survey has shown that 40% pet owners can’t live without their smartphones. They would give up their pets for a month, rather than stay away from their smart devices. For these pet parents, the idea of being separated from their smartphones is scarier than living without their furry friends.
SimpleTexting, an online SMS marketing platform, surveyed more than 1,000 smartphone owners across all 50 states to pinpoint exactly which pleasures Americans would sacrifice to keep their phones. The survey found 44% would go without seeing their pet friends for a month if they could keep their cellphones.
“The insights from the survey were quite telling. In terms of relationships, almost 40% of respondents would rather give up their dog for a month than their smartphones for a month, and 42% of respondents would rather be away from their significant other for a month than be away from their smartphones for a month,” the survey results state.
SimpleTexing also pointed out the “pandemic stress and lockdowns with significant others” may have something to do with this willingness to spend time away from partners.
“In terms of libations, 72% of respondents would rather sacrifice all alcohol for a month than sacrifice their smartphones for a month, and 64% of respondents would rather sacrifice all coffee for a month than sacrifice their smartphones for a month. Surprisingly, more are prioritizing caffeine intake over alcoholic beverages during COVID-19 based on these results,” the website stated.
Despite many saying they would be ready to part ways with their partners, but when it comes to giving up sex for a month vs. not using their phones, 53% say they would rather give up their phones than go with sex.
Even when Netflix and Instagram can’t break the strong bond of a person and their smartphone. “70% of respondents would sacrifice Netflix over their smartphones for a month, and 60% of respondents would give up all social media over their smartphones for a month,” SimpleTexting stated.
The survey also asked participants how much they would be willing to pay to keep their smartphone for one month. “35% of respondents said between $500 & $2,000. Millennials were willing to pay more than any other generation in order to keep their smartphones for a month. In fact, Millennials were three times as likely as both Baby Boomers and Gen Z to pay $2 – $3k.”
“In summary, many are willing to risk it all in order to keep the digital devices we hold so dear to us. Luckily, most adult-aged Americans shouldn’t have to worry about threats of having their smartphones taken away. In 2020, we’ll continue to send more text messages, take more phone calls, download more mobile apps, and peruse more social media channels without the fear of intervention,” author Meghan Tocci concluded.