The Austrians and the Mobile Phone: 10 Years of Social Impact Studies by Mobilkom Austria
For 10 years mobilkom austria has been investigating the impact of mobile communications on society - SMS remains the "killer application": The number of SMS users has increased by more than half - 12- to 18-year-olds use the diversity of the mobile features most actively
.
Since 1999, mobilkom austria has been using the Social Impact studies to investigate the influence of mobile communications on Austrian society. Together with GfK Austria, some 10,000 Austrians have been surveyed in recent years on when, how and why they use the mobile phone. This year's "anniversary study" is devoted to the subject of security
"The mobile communications market is dynamic like no other. In the last 10 years, mobile phone usage has changed a great deal. New technologies, new applications and new practices among customers have influenced each other," says Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO mobilkom austria and Telekom Austria. "As market and innovations leader, we see it as our task to explain the social changes brought about by mobile communication and thereby continue to actively shape the market and mobile communications in the future."
"In our first study in 1999, we noticed that the mobile phone is a status symbol. Today it is the everyday companion of nearly all Austrians," says Prof. Dr. Rudolf Bretschneider, GfK Austria. "Mobile communication has clearly changed a great deal of our behavior and above all the way we communicate with each other."
The Austrians On the Go: Not Without My Mobile Phone!
The number of phone calls that Austrians make every day on their mobile phones has significantly increased since 1999. On weekdays an average of 11 mobile phone calls are now made, 20% more than 1999 (8 times).
When Austrians leave the house they take their phone with them: Nearly 80% always have it along and a third even always keep it within sight. The main reason: 80% of Austrians want to be reachable for friends at all times. In 1999, that number was 71%. Furthermore, in the year 2009, 52% could no longer even imagine life without a mobile phone.
"Killer Application" SMS: Number of Users and Messages Increasing
The number of active SMS users has increased by more than half since 1999: While 55% sent text messages in 1999, today that number is 88%. And the number of SMS messages that each customer sends risen massively as well: Today, on average, each user sends 24 SMS per week, about 4 times more than they did 10 years ago (7 SMS per week). The way that SMS are sent has also changed over the years: While 45% of SMS were sent via the internet in 1999, today it is only 19%.
SMS is an application that is especially popular among women: With an average of 29 SMS, female mobile phone users send almost twice as many text messages as their male colleagues (15). The SMS function is also popular among younger people: 15- to 29-year-olds especially enjoy sending SMS: Women in this age group send 52 SMS per week, men send 40. The number of so-called heavy users, who send from 200 to 300 SMS a week, is also increasing.
More Mobile Phone Features, More Intensive Use. The most frequently used functions are on a mobile phone are the clock (91%), alarm clock (87%) and calendar (69%). The camera phone is growing more and more popular. Today, 69% use the phone as a camera, which represents an increase of more than 60% in comparison to 2006. The use of mobile phones as MP3 players is also growing: In 2009, 27% listen to music on their mobile phone, in 2006, that number was only 10%. Web surfing on mobile phones has seen a clear increase as well; notable here is that almost twice as many men (22%) as women (12%) use mobile internet on their mobile phone
"We see that more and more functions that the mobile phone has long offered in technically terms are now actually being used," says Prof. Rudolf Bretschneider. "Furthermore, we know from the survey that many Austrians are interested in the use of additional features." Roughly 59% express interest in navigation and 52% an interest in e-mail on the mobile phone.
.
Children and Teenagers Use the Widest Range of Mobile Phone Functions. Young people between 12 and 18 years in particular often and gladly use a variety of mobile phone features. 87% take photographs, 80% listen to music and 78% play games on the mobile phone. Moreover, having a cutting-edge mobile phone model is most import to those under 24 years: For 42% consider having a cutting-edge mobile phone important, compared to 22% of the total population. 9% of under-24-year-olds acquire a new model at least once a year..
The age at which Austrians feel children should get their first mobile phone was 14 years in 1999; today it is roughly 10 years –a figure that has remained unchanged since 2006.
The mobile phone is also an important safety factor for children and adolescents: For 92% of parents, it is reassuring to be able to reach their children via mobile phone. For 79% it is also important that children have mobile phones in case of emergency.
New Mobile Phone Etiquette: Business Calls are an Increasingly Private Affair. Austrians are switching off their mobiles less and less often. While in 2002 it remained off for about five hours per day during the week, it is now only off four hours per day. The silencing of mobiles is developing in the opposite direction: In 2002 mobile phones were switched to silent for only two hours on weekdays; today it is five hours. Even on weekends, this trend, albeit weaker, is visible: In 2002, were silenced for one hour per day; in 2009, it is three hours..
"An interesting trend: The Austrians do not want to give up being reachable by mobile phone. At the same time, they are increasingly careful not to disturb their environment with the ringing," said Rudolf Bretschneider..
The subjects discussed in public on the mobile phone have changed as well. Private matters are now more frequently discussed in public than in 1999: 10 years ago, 50% of mobile phone users postponed private conversations for later when in public situations; today only 35% do so. In professional discussions, the trend is reversed: In 1999, 25% of conversations were postponed; today it is 43%..
The number of Austrians who agree with mobile phone bans in certain places has generally decreased in recent years. Nonetheless, most Austrians believe that should be places where the mobile phone must be switched off, such as hospitals (33% spontaneous mentions), churches (30%), airplanes and airports (25%) or at the doctors and in the theater (21% ). Since 2007, a clear trend can be observed regarding in the use of mobile phones in airplanes: Agreement with the ban on mobile phones in the sky has more than tripled in the last two years, from 7% to 25%. At the same time, the Austrians do not want any restriction on mobile phone usage on public transport (bus, tram, subway)..
Looking ahead, Hannes Ametsreiter adds: "One feature of the mobile phone will clearly become even more important: the mobile access to internet services. mobilkom austria's responsibility here is and will continue to be to allow our customers that individual freedom. Small mobile applications play as significant a role here as collaborations with companies that offer our customers added value for their mobility.".
news from mobilcomaustria |
