Strange Bedfellows: Three in Ten (30%) Cellphone Users Sleep With their Phones Beside their Bed

Toronto, ON - According to a new Ipsos Reid poll of mobile device users conducted on behalf of Windows Mobile, three in ten (30%) Canadians with a cellphone say they sleep with their phone beside their bed at night. Perhaps starving for attention, men (36%) are more likely than women (24%) to say that their cellphone rests next to their bed at night.

Taking the relationship with their phones one step further, one in three (36%) says that they come into contact more with their mobile device than with their significant other during the course of the day. Once again, men (45%) are much more likely than women (28%) to suggest that their mobile device receives more attention from them than does their significant other.

Some Canadians even use their phones in secret while in locations that many would consider inappropriate places to be using a phone: in the bathroom (30%), at a wedding (6%), in a church (5%), at a funeral (3%), or even in a delivery room (2%). Two thirds (66%) of cellphone users say they haven't used their phone in any of these locations.

The attachment that Canadians have to their cellphone appears to be strong, and many would go to great lengths to save their phone from imminent danger: one in three (34%) would search through a garbage can to find their phone, while two in ten (20%) would even hand-fish it out of a toilet if it fell in. Others would retrieve it from a pile of dog excrement (4%), or from the mouth of a rat (3%). Just four in ten (39%) think that these situations would warrant parting with their phone.

There are some situations where cellphones appear to be indispensable, including while on vacation (28%), a weekend outing (25%), a night out (19%), for emergencies (5%), while at work (4%), a wedding (3%), while driving (2%), or for some, all the time (2%).

And turning to the age-old question dealing with being stranded on a deserted island, 15% would rather have their cellphone than food (73%) - perhaps thinking that it would be an effective way of getting off the island. One in ten (11%) think it would be just too hard to decide between the two.

Men and Women Differ On their Cellphones...

Men and women differ in many areas when it comes to attitudes and usage of their cellphones. While two in three (66%) choose function over form (34%) when choosing a mobile device, men (72%) are more likely than women (60%) to choose function, while women (40%) are more likely than men (28%) to choose form.

Thinking about who they stay in contact with most using their cellphones, men and women differ once again. While 68% of users on the whole stay in contact most with their family (68%) and close friends (17%), women (76%) are more likely than men (59%) to say their family is who they contact most, while men (20%) are more likely than women (14%) to say it's their friends. Others contact their co-workers (6%, 9% men/3% women) or acquaintances (2%).

While a majority (52%) say they're most likely to use their cellphones for personal reasons while in the car (52%), others use it while at the grocery store (34%), in the mall (33%), at work (29%), at home (28%), while out with friends (27%), commuting (26%) or at a sporting event (9%), or even at school (6%). Just 2% now use their cellphone primarily for emergencies.

• Women (55%) are more likely than men (49%) to admit to using cellphones most often while in the car.
• Women (39%) are more likely than men (29%) to say they are most likely to use it while in the grocery store, and while at the mall (36% women/30% men).
• Men are more likely to use their cellphone for personal use while at work (35% men/23% women) and while at home (34% men/22% women).

Men and women not only differ on when they use their phones, but for what they use them for. While nine in ten (91%), overall, use their phone for verbal communication, 31% use it for written communication such as email or texting. Others use it for organizational tasks (16%) or for sharing content (13%), or playing games (10%). Seven percent (7%) use it to seek information on the internet.

• Men and women are equally as likely to use their phone for chatting or emailing and texting, but men (19%) are more likely to use it for organizational purposes than are women (13%). They're also more likely to use it for entertainment purposes (13% men/8% women).

While most (77%) cellphone users don't accessorize their mobile device, some buy cases (17%), charms (4%), or skins (3%). But when it comes to colour, men and women do not agree. While 34% would simply choose black, men (49%) are more likely to do so than women (21%). Two in ten (19%) would choose silver (21% men/18% women), or blue (15%, 18% men/13% women). Women, though, are more likely than men to choose other colours, including red (8%, 11% women/4% men), pink (7%, 13% women/0% men), multi-coloured (4%, 6% women/3% men), purple (4%, 7% women/1% men), green, (4%, 6% women/2% men) or brown (1%).

One in ten (9%) say they download applications to their phones, with men (13%) being more likely than women (6%) to do this. Another 12% don't know about downloading applications, and 78% say they haven't done so. Among those who have or don't know if they've done so in the past, 55% would like to use weather and maps (62% men/49% women), while others would prefer to use games (44%, 53% men/36% women), health and wellness (15%, 18% women/12% men), business (12%, 24% men/2% women), or even stock quotes (11%, 22% men/2% women).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Windows Mobile from October 9 to October 13, 2008. This online survey of 1042 adults with a mobile device was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The results of this poll is based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls because they are based on samples drawn from opt-in online panels, not on random samples that mirror the population within a statistical probability ratio. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error. However, an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points , 19 times out of 20 had the entire adult population of mobile devices owners been surveyed.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Sean Simpson
Research Manager
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]

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