Study: America's fascination with the cell phone

The latest mobile phone study affirms just how dependent many Americans are on their cell phones. Nearly 50 percent of young adults reported having trouble doing something because they did not have their phone nearby and 20 percent of all surveyed experienced frustration because their phone took too long to download something. The new findings come courtesy of Pew Internet & American Life Project and reveal a lot information about the average phone owner.

83 percent of Americans own some form of mobile phone and more than 50 percent of those have used a phone in the last month to retrieve information on the spot.

Remember that time you pretended to place or receive a phone call to avoid talking with someone nearby? Well you aren’t alone, as 13 percent of respondents have done the same thing.

70 percent of young adults between the age of 18 and 29 have used a phone for entertainment while they were bored.

Aside from entertainment and convenience, handsets can be a valuable tool during an emergency. 40 percent of everyone questioned said they found themselves in an emergency situation where having their phone was useful.

Data for the study was obtained via phone interviews of 2,277 adults over the age of 18. Calls were conducted between April 26 and May 22 2011. This is likely the same phone interview that was used to determine Internet activities of adults earlier this month which revealed that search and email remain the top online activities in the US.

It’s unfortunate that the survey didn’t poll people under the age of 18 as it would be interesting to see how younger teenagers would skew the results.