Phone-reliant Britons in the grip of 'nomo-phobia'
Monday, 31 March 2008
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Being out of mobile-phone contact is as stressful as moving house or breaking up with a partner for nearly one in five phone users, according to a survey which suggests many Britons are in the grip of "nomo-phobia".
Anxiety over running out of battery or credit, losing one's handset and not having network coverage affects 53 per cent of the UK's 45 million mobile-phone users, according to the study by YouGov.
Stewart Fox-Mills, the head of telephony at the Post Office, which commissioned the survey, said "nomo-phobia" was a real phenomenon for many people. "We're all familiar with the stressful situations of everyday life such as moving house, break-ups and organising a family Christmas, but it seems being out of mobile contact may be the 21st century's contribution to our already manic lives," he said. "Being phoneless and panicked is a symptom of our 24/7 culture."
Men were more likely than women to be affected by losing mobile phone contact, with 48 per cent of women and 58 per cent of men admitting to feelings of anxiety. More than 20 per cent of the 2,163 people questioned said they never switched off their mobiles, and one in 10 said their job required them to be contactable at all times.
Some 55 per cent cited keeping in touch with friends or family as the main reason for being wedded to their handsets and 9 per cent said having their phone switched off made them anxious.
The Post Office has now produced a guide to avoiding "nomo-phobia" which recommends leaving loved ones an alternative contact number and making a back-up list of all contacts in case the phone is lost or stolen.
The ban on mobile-phone use on planes has posed a problem for those who feel the need to be contactable. But last month, Ofcom, the communications regulator, confirmed British airline passengers could, by next year, use mobiles on aircraft flying above 3,000m. The calls are likely to cost between £1 and £2 a minute.
