Text me, don’t call say one in three Americans: Pew

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Thirty-one percent of cell phone users in the US say they like to make and receive text messages more than voice calls on their mobile device.

Young mobile phone users are the most avid texters, said a study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project.

Mobile owners aged between 18 to 24 exchange an astonishing 109.5 messages per day - that’s more than 3,200 texts per month.

"Heavy text users are much more likely to prefer texting to talking," said The Pew Research Center in a report published on September 19. "Some 55% of those who exchange more than 50 messages a day say they would rather get a text than a voice call."

Just over half (53%) of mobile owners said they prefer to talk to someone on the phone than to receive a text message while the remaining 14% said their preference would depend on the situation.

Eighty-three percent of the entire adult population in the US are now mobile phone owners, three-quarters of which (73%) send and receive text messages on their phone, said Pew.

The average adult sends or receives around ten texts per day and makes or receives an average of 12 calls per day. Despite the arrival of smarter phones and broader communications options for mobile users, both these figures are similar to Pew’s 2010 figures.

"Overall, the survey found that both text messaging and phone calling on cell phones have leveled off for the adult population as a whole," said Pew.

A September 1 study by Nielsen found that 40 percent of mobile consumers in the US own a smartphone. Among smartphone owners, Android is the most popular operating system in the country followed by Apple’s iOS.

Pew's survey was conducted from April 26-May 22 and was based on the responses of 2,277 Americans aged 18 and older.