From home and work to the grocery store and out with friends, it’s common to see phones glued to hands everywhere we go. While cell phones have become an integral part of our everyday lives, some Americans have no problem parting ways with their device.
With this in mind, the team at Office Recovery set out to learn where Americans are most attached to their phones and where devices are loneliest. To do this, we surveyed people in every state and asked a variety of questions about their cell phone usage.
We then awarded points to answers that represented phones not being used or even left in other rooms, and we created a lonely phones score on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the loneliest phones. In addition to the ranking by state, we also determine the activities that Americans are most likely to put their phones away for. Read on to learn more about our findings.
Key Takeaways
- Americans are most likely to put their phones away while having sex, praying or meditating, and taking a bath.
- The average American can only comfortably go about 45 minutes without checking their phone.
- 70% of Americans keep their phones within arm's reach while they sleep.
- Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Oregon are home to the loneliest phones in the U.S.
- Delaware, New York, and Louisiana are home to the least lonely phones in the U.S.
When Americans Put Their Phones Away Most Often
Our phones help us to stay connected with those who are most important to us, but when gathered face-to-face, cell phones can also be a distraction that takes away from the experience. While each person is different when it comes to their attachment to their phones, we discovered which activities Americans are most aligned on when putting the tech away.
Up first with 76% of people saying it is having sex. Even as the number one phone-free activity, 1 in 12 say they do use their phone during the intimate act and 1 in 6 keep their device close by. Praying or meditating are up next as two-thirds of Americans step away from their phones during this time.
Coming in third place for phone-free activities is taking a bath, which nearly 3 in 5 people say they do without their phones. Nearly 1 in 2 Americans consider work meetings a place away from phones, but we discovered 1 in 10 actively use their devices during these gatherings.
Rounding out the top five for activities Americans leave their phones behind for is driving. While 39% of Americans actively practice safe driving by putting their phones away, 1 in 12 admit to actively using their devices while on the road.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns that any time you fail to give the task of driving your full attention, you are increasing the risk of crashing. They share that, “Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”
In addition to the most common activities overall, we also discovered the most popular activities by state. Check out the interactive map below to see when residents of your state are most likely to put their phones away.
The States Where Phones Are Loneliest
So where are Americans having the easiest time parting ways with their phones? In Pennsylvania. With a lonely phone score of 99.02 out of 100, Pennsylvania residents are the most likely to cast their phone aside.
In second place with a score of 97.16 out of 100 is Oklahoma where 1 in 3 residents find themselves in opposite rooms from their phone multiple times a day. Oregon is up next as residents of the state rank most likely to put their phones away during formal events (i.e. weddings), casual events (i.e. birthday parties), and live events (i.e. concerts).
Overall, we discovered that older generations are more likely than younger generations to spend time without their phones. Similarly, 1 in 10 Americans say they are always in the same room as their phone.
Even when not in active use, our phones can hold our attention. When it comes to checking for notifications, 1 in 5 people say they can only comfortably go 30 minutes at most without looking at their phones.
Conclusion
While not everyone has the same attachment to their phones, many people can still relate to the importance of keeping their devices safe. From the special memories saved to your photo albums to the heartfelt voicemails saved in your call log, there is plenty of data that is important to keep safe.
At Office Recovery, we understand this importance, and that’s why we serve everyone from business owners to personal users when it comes to data recovery. Whether you are attempting to restore data to your iPhone or Android or you are seeking to recover a hard drive filled with crucial information, our team of experts have you covered.
Already struggling with lost data? Get started today by downloading and installing SecureRecovery, our professional data recovery software, using a free trial. Once downloaded, the software will alert you to files that can be recovered, so you can know what can be saved before buying the full license to extract your data.
Methodology
In this study, we set out to discover where Americans' phones are the loneliest. To do this, we surveyed residents of every state and asked various questions about how often they are away from their phone.
We then awarded points to answers that represented less usage of phones. Finally, we calculated the average score by state and adjusted those scores on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the loneliest phones. Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming were not included in this study due to a lack of responses.
