Nearly three out
of four consumers agree that mobile phone usage on airplanes should be
restricted to silent features only according to a new survey
commissioned by Yahoo! Inc. and conducted by Harris
Interactive. The survey demonstrates that U.S. consumers
today view their mobile phone as more than just a phone, it's a
computer in their pocket with a wide variety of features. Consumers
surveyed support the ability to access mobile phone features like
e-mail, text and IM while in-flight, but made clear their preference
for no talking.
"There is an increasing debate about the use of mobile phones on airplanes,"said Bruce Stewart, vice president and general manager, Connected
Life Americas, Yahoo!. "This new survey overwhelmingly proves the
desire of consumers to stay connected to the people, information,
interests and passions that are important to them while in-flight, but
they don't want to be forced to listen to the conversation of the
passenger sitting next to them."
I Want My Mobile Phone
Across the U.S.A., but especially in the West, most consumers agree
that mobile phone usage on planes should be restricted to non-talking
features only:
- West: 83 percent
- Northeast: 72 percent
- Midwest: 73 percent
- South: 69 percent
More than half of consumers (60 percent) would want to use silent features while flying on an airplane such as:
- Text message: 38 percent
- Access e-mail: 28 percent
- Play games: 29 percent
Age impacts consumers' mobile phone service preferences while in flight:
- 35-44 year olds: 43 percent, more so than any other age group, would want to check e-mail on their mobile
- 18-34 year olds: 62 percent would want to text and 29 percentwould want to instant message (IM)
The Talking Zone
If usage of mobile phones was allowed while in-flight, more than two
out of three (69 percent) consumers agreed that there should be a
designated area of an airplane for passengers who want to talk on their
mobile phones. In fact, older consumers (76 percent) and women (73
percent) are more likely to agree than their younger (64 percent) and
male (64 percent) counterparts.
As the number one mobile web destination in the U.S. (M:Metrics,
March 2008), Yahoo! offers a variety of award-winning mobile services
that connect consumers to the people, information and passions that
matter to them no matter where they are. The new Yahoo! Mobile Homepage
is a highly-personalized starting point for consumers on the mobile
Internet. Yahoo! oneSearch is a search experience designed specifically
for mobile that gives consumers access to instant answers and relevant
results. Yahoo! Go 3.0 is Yahoo!'s flagship mobile Internet experience
that integrates key Yahoo! services such as mail, news and finance as
well as an ever-growing selection of third party widgets that unlock
the true power of the mobile Internet.
Methodology for Survey
This Mobile Phone Usage survey was conducted online within the
United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Yahoo! Mobile between
April 29 and May 1, 2008 among 2,030 adults ages 18+, of whom, 1,778
are mobile phone owners who have ever flown in an airplane.
Results were weighted as needed on the basis of region, age within
gender, education, household income, and race/ethnicity. Propensity
score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to
be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability
sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often
not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error,
coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated
with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting
and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin
of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are
different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for
pure, unweighted, random samples with 100 percent response rates. These
are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this
ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys.
The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population.
Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to
participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no
estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.