Half of All Americans Own a Cellular Phone

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- According to a recent Gallup poll, about half of all Americans own a cell phone, and among the owners, about two-thirds use their cell phone at least several times a week. About four in ten cell phone owners also use their cell phones frequently while driving, a dangerous practice according to some recently published reports. Most Americans apparently agree, expressing 2-to-1 support for legislation that would make it illegal for people to use their cell phones while driving. Among people who do not yet own a cell phone, 29% say they expect to own one within the next five years and another 22% say they will at some point in the future. However, 47% of the non-owners -- or about a quarter of all Americans -- say they willneverbuy a cell phone.

The poll, conducted March 30-April 2, shows that cell phone ownership correlates highly with both age and income. About six in ten Americans in the middle age groups -- 30-49, and 50-64 are owners, compared with 41% ownership among those under 30, and just 21% among those 65 and older. Among non-owners, the youngest group is most likely to say they will get cell phones within the next five years (47%), while the oldest group is the least likely (12%). The oldest group is also the most likely to say they willneverbuy a cell phone (70%).

Despite these age differences, income is even more important in separating owners from non-owners: the higher the income, the more cell phone owners. Among American with an annual household income of less than $20,000, only 19% are cell phone owners, compared with 80% among Americans whose income is greater than $75,000 a year. Furthermore, the gap between the high and low income groups is likely to widen. Only 21% of non-owners in the lowest income category expect to buy a phone within the next five years, compared with 41% of non-owners in the highest income category.

CELL PHONE BEHAVIOR
COMPARED BY SELECTED DEMOGRAPHICS
	OVERALL	AMONG CELL PHONE OWNERS			AMONG NON OWNERS
	Own a Cell Phone Now	Use Cell Phone Every Day or Several Times per Week (Cell Phone Owners)	Use Cell Phone Every Day or Several Times per WeekWhile Driving(Cell Phone Owners)	Use Cell Phone More Than Regular Phone (Cell Phone Owners)	Expect to Own Cell Phone Within Next 5 Years (Non-Owners)	Expect NEVER to Own Cell Phone (Non-Owners)
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Total	50	67	41	13	29	47
Age
18-29	41	67	37	21	47	32
30-49	60	78	52	15	33	42
50-64	58	57	26	7	19	50
65+	21	34	16	1	12	70
Gender
Male	52	71	45	19	28	44
Female	49	64	35	7	30	50
Gender by Age
Male (18-49)	54	78	58	24	36	37
Female (18-49)	54	73	43	10	41	37
Male (50+)	49	54	28	9	14	55
Female (50+)	50	43	18	2	15	67
Region
East	46	62	36	10	25	52
Mid-west	42	61	33	11	34	41
South	55	71	46	13	27	47
West	56	71	43	17	30	51
Income/Year
< $20K	19	54	14	10	21	58
$20K-$30K	33	61	29	13	28	40
$30K-$50K	53	69	39	13	37	46
$50K-$75K	72	71	46	14	33	37
$75K+	80	77	55	12	41	32

Cell Phone Usage High
Most owners use their cell phones quite frequently, with 67% saying they use them every day or several times a week. Another 13% say they use their cell phones about once a week, 16% say less frequently, and 4% say they never use it. Use is highest among Americans in the 30-49 age group, with 78% of owners saying they use their cell phone at least several times a week, compared with 67% of the youngest owners, 57% of the 50-64 age group, and only 34% of people 65 or older.

General use of cell phones is highly correlated with the use of cell phones while driving. More than half (52%) of Americans in the 30-49 age group drive and talk on their cell phones at least several times a week, compared with 37% of the youngest age group, 26% of the 50-64 age group, and only 16% of owners in 65 and older age group.

Regular Phones Still Used More Often Than Cell Phones
The convenience of cell phones apparently does not outweigh their greater cost, as most cell phone owners say they rely principally on a regular phone for their conversations. Still, for a small minority of Americans, mostly young and mostly male, the cell phone is apparently the instrument of choice. Fully one-fifth (21%) of cell phone owners under the age of 30 say they use a cell phone more than a regular phone. Among males under the age of 50, almost a quarter (24%) report using a cell phone more often, compared with just 10% of females in the same age group.

Americans Support Law Making Cell Phone Use Illegal While Driving; Less Supportive of Restrictions of Cell Phone Use in Public Places
About two in three Americans (67%) say their state government should pass a law that would make it illegal to use a cell phone while driving. Not surprisingly, those who frequently drive and talk on their cell phones oppose this proposal by more than a 2-to-1 margin, 67% to 31%. However, those who only occasionally engage in that behavior support the measure by 59% to 39%, and those who never do -- including those without cell phones -- give overwhelming support, 81% to 17%.

Americans are more divided over the policies of some restaurants and other public establishments that forbid people to use cell phones on their premises. Overall, 50% support such restrictions, but 40% oppose them. Cell phone owners are about evenly divided on the matter (48% in favor, 45% opposed), while non-owners support it by a substantial margin (53% to 36%).

The determining factor in reaction to this proposal is whether or not someone has been personally irritated with cell phone users. Overall, 45% of all Americans -- 46% of cell phone owners, 45% of non-owners -- say they have been disturbed or irritated by someone using a cell phone near them in a public place. Those who report such irritating behavior support restrictions on cell phone use in public places by 70% to 23%. The rest of Americans oppose such restrictions by an almost equally large margin of 63% to 29%.

Few Americans See Serious Health Risks Associated With Cell Phone Use
Despite some recently published reports suggesting that brain tumors could be linked to cell phone use, few Americans believe that cell phones pose a serious health risk. In part, the more sanguine views may be due to the fact that few Americans have heard very much about such reports. Only 14% say they have heard a great deal about the possible health risks associated with using cell phones, while another 37% say they have heard a moderate amount. Another 30% say they have heard only a little, and 18% report they have not heard anything about such reports.

When asked how serious they felt the risks actually were, only 8% of respondents said very serious, while 30% said somewhat serious. Another 35% said not too serious, and 18% said not serious at all.

These views are highly related to people's self-reported exposure to news reports on the topic. The more they have heard about the risks, the more likely they are to say such risks are serious. Among those who say they have heard a great deal, almost two-thirds (64%) say the health risks of using a cell phone are very or somewhat serious, compared with 50% among those who have heard only a moderate amount, 28% who have heard only a little, and just 10% among those who have not heard anything about possible health risks. Even among cell phone users, the same pattern prevails: If they have heard a great deal about possible risks, 53% say the risks are very or somewhat serious; but if they have not heard anything, only 10% believe the risks are serious.

Survey Methods
The results reported here are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 998 adults, 18 years and older, conducted March 30-April 2, 2000. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

Do you currently own a cellular phone, or not?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2	50	50	*

How often do you use your cellular phone - every day, several times a week, about once a week, less frequently, or never?

BASED ON -- 541 -- CELLULAR PHONE USERS; +/- 5 PCT PTS

	Every day	Several times a week	About once a week	Less frequently	Never	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2	43	24	13	16	4	0

And how often do you use a cellular phone while driving - every day, several times a week, about once a week, less frequently, or never?

BASED ON -- 541 -- CELLULAR PHONE USERS; +/- 5 PCT PTS

	Every day	Several times a week	About once a week	Less frequently	Never	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2	23	18	10	22	27	*

Which do you use more -- a cellular phone or a regular phone?

BASED ON -- 541 -- CELLULAR PHONE USERS; +/- 5 PCT PTS

	Cellular	Regular	No opinion
	%	%	%
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2	13	85	2

Do you intend to get a cellular phone for your own use within the next couple of years, within the next five years, at some point in the future, or never?

BASED ON -- 457 -- RESPONDENTS WHO DO NOT OWN A CELL PHONE; +/- 5 PCT PTS

	Next couple of years	Next five years	At some point in the future	Never	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2	20	9	22	47	2

Do you think your state government should -- or should not -- pass a law making it illegal to use a cellular phone while driving?

	Should	Should not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2	67	31	2

In general, do you favor or oppose the policies of some restaurants and other public establishments that forbid people to use cellular phones on their premises?

	Favor	Oppose	DEPENDS (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2	50	40	5	5

Have you personally ever been disturbed or irritated by someone who was using their cellular phone near you when you were in a public place, or not?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2	45	55	*

How much have you heard about possible health risks due to cellular phone use-a great deal, moderate amount, only a little or nothing at all?

	A great deal	A moderate	Only a little	Nothing at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2	14	37	30	18	1

And how serious do you think are the health risks associated with cellular phone use - very serious, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not serious at all?

	Very serious	Somewhat serious	Not too serious	Not serious at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2	8	30	35	18	9