According to the latest study by Solution Research Group’s Digital Life America survey, 68% of Americans experience some level of anxiety when disconnected from their wireless devices and the Internet, with 27% reporting “acute” anxiety. Of the 32% of users surveyed who experienced little to no anxiety when disconnected from their wireless devices, the majority were over 50 years old.
The report authors found four specific areas where users will experience disconnect anxiety: safety, without a cell phone/portable communication device users fear they will not be able to respond to an emergency; work, fear of missing important information; social life, users worry they might miss the party; and navigation; without wireless devices, users worry they are more likely to get lost.
Data for the report comes from SRG's Digital Life America tracking study, which surveyed 4,994 Americans aged 12 and older on all aspects of their use of and attitudes toward communications and entertainment technologies, during four periods between October 2006 and February 2008. SRG says its population samples are nationally representative of the U.S. online population.
Some of the study’s other findings include: 83% of cell phone users say "my cell phone goes everywhere I go"; 63% agree "I'm the kind of person who likes to be in touch all the time"; 63% of BlackBerry users use their devices even when in the washroom; 37% use laptops in the bedroom "frequently."