FOR RELEASE JUNE 3, 2021BY Andrew PerrinFOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES: Lee Rainie, Director, Internet and Technology Research Andrew Perrin, Research Analyst Haley Nolan, Communications Manager 202.419.4372 www.pewresearch.org RECOMMENDED CITATION Pew Research Center, June 2021, “Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021”1 PEW RESEARCH CENTERAbout Pew Research CenterPew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. It studies U.S. politics and policy; journalism and media; internet, science and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and trends; and U.S. social and demographic trends. All of the Center’s reports are available at www.pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. © Pew Research Center 2021www.pewresearch.org2 PEW RESEARCH CENTERHow we did thisTo better understand Americans’ smartphone and broadband adoption, Pew Research Center surveyed 1,502 U.S. adults from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8, 2021, by cellphone and landline phone. The survey was conducted by interviewers under the direction of Abt Associates and is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, education and other categories. Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology.www.pewresearch.org3 PEW RESEARCH CENTERMobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021Smartphone ownership (85%) and home broadband subscriptions (77%) have increased among AmericanModest growth in share of Americans who say they own a smartphone or have broadband at home …% of U.S. adults who say they have or own the followingadults since 2019 – from 81%and 73% respectively. Though modest, both increases arestatistically significant and comeat a time when a majority of Americans say the internet hasbeen important to thempersonally. And 91% of adultsreport having at least one of these technologies.… but 30% say they often or sometimes have problems connecting to the internet at home% of U.S. adults who say they __ experience problems connecting to theA Pew Research Center survey of internet at homeU.S. adults conducted from Jan.25 to Feb. 8, 2021, also finds that some Americans havedifficulties when trying to goonline. Some 30% of adults say they often or sometimes experience problems connecting to the internet at home,Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021. “Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021”PEW RESEARCH CENTERincluding 9% who say suchproblems happen often. Still, a majority of Americans say these connection troubles occur rarely (41%) or never (21%).While there has been slight growth in the share who say they subscribe to high-speed internet, about a quarter of the population still does not have a broadband internet connection at home. And broadband non-adopters continue to cite financial constraints as one of the most important reasons why they forgo these services. Among non-broadband users, 45% say a reason why they dowww.pewresearch.org4 PEW RESEARCH CENTERnot have broadband at home is that the monthly cost of a home broadband subscription is too expensive, while about four-in-ten (37%) say the same about the cost of a computer. Beyond cost barriers, a little fewer than half of non-users cite having other options for internet access or the fact that their smartphone does everything online they need as a reason why they do not have a high-speed internet connection at home.Other major findings in this new survey:▪ Smartphone dependency: Some 15% of U.S. adults are “smartphone-only” internet users – that is, they have a smartphone, but do not have a home broadband connection.▪ Interest in getting broadband: Fully 71% of non-broadband users say they are not interested in having such a connection at home.These findings come from a nationally representative survey of 1,502 U.S. adults conducted via telephone Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021. The following sections elaborate on those findings.Adults 65 and older are less likely to own a smartphone; Americans with lower incomes or with less formal education are less likely to own a smartphone or have home broadband Fully 85% of adults now say they own a smartphone, up from 81% in 2019, when Pew Research Center last measured smartphone ownership. Some long-running patterns in Center technology adoption studies are evident in the new survey. Smartphone ownership is relatively common across major demographic groups, but some substantial gaps in adoption remain, including by age. While the share of adults ages 65 and older who have a smartphone has increased from 53% to 61% in the past two years, this age cohort remains far less likely than younger groups to report having this type of mobile device.As was the case in 2019, ownership rates also vary among the oldest adults: 71% of adults ages 65 to 74 say they are smartphone owners, but that share falls to 43% among those 75 and older.Additionally, those living in households earning less than $30,000 and those with a high school diploma or less are less likely than those in higher-income households and those with higher levels of education to say they have this type of device.www.pewresearch.org5 PEW RESEARCH CENTERThe share of Americans withBroadband adoption varies substantially by education,home broadband subscriptions household income; some differences less pronouncedhas similarly grown since 2019 – for smartphone ownershipfrom 73% of adults saying they % of U.S. adults who say they have or own the following have one in the previous surveyto 77% today. There are moreSmartphoneHome broadbandpronounced variations acrossU.S. adults8577some demographic groups, particularly in differences by annual household income and educational attainment. ForAges 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+96 95 83 6170 8679 64example, 92% of adults in households earning $75,000 or more per year say they haveWhite Black Hispanic858083718565broadband internet at home. But that share falls to 57% among those whose annualHS or less Some collegeCollege+75 89 9359 80 94household income is below $30,000. The 35 percentage point gap between these twoLess than $30K $30K-$74,999 $75K or more76 84 9657 80 92income groups is nearly twice asUrban8977large as the comparable gap forSuburban8479smartphone ownership – thereRural8072is a 20-point gap between those in households earning less than $30,000 per year and those inNote: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. White and Black adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021. “Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021”households earning $75,000 or PEW RESEARCH CENTERmore who say they own asmartphone. Educational differences follow a similar pattern.There remains a statistically significant gap between rural residents who have home broadband and suburban residents, but while the gap was 16 percentage points in 2019, it is 7 points today. As has been true in other Center surveys, there are still significant gaps in home broadband adoption by race and ethnicity. White adults (80%) are more likely than Black (71%) and Hispanic adults (65%) to have home broadband.11 There were not enough Asian American respondents in the sample to be broken out into a separate analysis. As always, their responses are incorporated into the general population figures throughout this report.www.pewresearch.org6 PEW RESEARCH CENTERRoughly one-in-ten Americans say they often have problems connecting to the internet at homeWhile a majority of Americans say they rarely or never have issues getting online at home, 30% say they experience such problems at least sometimes, including 9% of adults who say this happens often.Some 30% of Americans say they often or sometimes experience internet connection issues% of U.S. adults who say they __ experience problems connecting to the internet at homeRelatively few Americans across major demographic groups report they often haveOftenU.S. adults9SometimesNET2130problems, but some groups are slightly moreAges 18-49122133likely than others to have that level of trouble50+ 62026connecting to the internet.For example, adults ages 18 to 49 are more likely than those 50 and older to say they often experience problems connecting to the internet at home (12% vs. 6%). And adults who have some college education or less formal educationSome collegeor less112031College+ 72228Note: Respondents who did not give an answer or who gave other responses are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021. “Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021”PEW RESEARCH CENTERare slightly more likely than college graduates tosay they often have these troubles (11% vs. 7%). There are no statistical differences among othermajor demographic groups.www.pewresearch.org7 PEW RESEARCH CENTERAbout three-in-ten adults under 30 are smartphone dependentSome 15% of Americans say they have a smartphone, but not a home broadband connection. Pew Research Center has been studying these “smartphone-only” internet users since 2013. Smartphone dependence is more common among younger rather than older adults: 28% of adults ages 18 to 29 are in this “smartphone-only” category, compared with 12% of those 30 and older.Some 27% of adults who live in a household earning less than $30,000 annually are smartphone-only. By comparison, 13% of those with household incomes of $30,000 to $74,999 and 6% of those in households earning $75,000 or more fall into this category. A similar pattern is evident when it comes to education: Those with a high school diploma or less are much more likely to be smartphone dependent than those who have a bachelor’s or advanced degree.15% of Americans are smartphone dependent% of U.S. adults who say they own a smartphone but do not have a highspeed internet connection at homeU.S. adultsAges 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+White Black HispanicHS or less Some collegeCollege+Less than $30K $30K-$74,999 $75K or more1528 1113 1212 17 2523 15 427 13 6There is also a gap between Hispanic and White adults: A quarter of Hispanic adults are smartphone-only internet users, compared with about one-in-ten White adults. And 17% of Black adults are smartphone dependent – but this share is not statistically different from their White or Hispanic counterparts.Urban SuburbanRural16 1217Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. White and Black adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021. “Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021”PEW RESEARCH CENTERwww.pewresearch.org8 PEW RESEARCH CENTERSimilar shares of non-broadband users cite their smartphones, cost and alternate internet access options as reasons for not having broadbandWhile a growing share of Americans say they have a high-speed internet subscription at home, 23% do not.Financial barriers are among the more common reasons why Americans do not subscribe to high-speed internet at home: 45% of nonbroadband users say a reason is that the monthly cost of a subscription is too expensive, while about four-in-ten cite the cost of a computer as too expensive.Smartphones, financial barriers and outside options for internet cited as reasons for not having home broadband% of non-broadband users in the U.S. who say the following are __ they do not have broadband at homeSimilar shares of non-broadband users say a reason is they have other options for internet access outside of home (46%) or their smartphone lets them do everything online that they need to do (45%). A smaller share of these Americans (25%) say they do not have a home subscription because broadband service is not available where they live or not available at an acceptable speed.Some 27% of adults – up from 17% in 2019 – say they do not have broadband at home for some other reason, including 11% who say it is because they are not interested, do not care for it or do not need it.Broadband non-adopters were asked which, among the reasons they mentioned, was the most important reason they did not have a broadband subscription at home.2 Some 27% of non-broadband users say the most important reason for not having broadband at home isNote: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021. “Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021”PEW RESEARCH CENTER2 If respondents only gave one reason for not having broadband at home, that was counted as the most important reason.www.pewresearch.org9 PEW RESEARCH CENTERcost – including 20% who say a monthly broadband subscription is too expensive and 7% who say a computer is too expensive.About one-in-five adults (19%) say their most important reason for not having broadband at home is that their smartphone does everything they need to do online. Looking specifically at smartphone-dependent Americans, three-in-ten say their smartphone doing everything they need to do online is their most important reason for not having broadband at home. That share did not meaningfully change from 2019.Smaller shares (9% each) say their most important reason for not having high-speed internet at home is that they have other options for internet access outside of home or that broadband service is not available, or not available at an acceptable speed, where they live.Some 22% of non-broadband users cite some other reason as most important for not having broadband at home, up from 13% in 2019.Cost and smartphone capabilities remain the most important reasons non-broadband users do not subscribe% of non-broadband users in the U.S. who cite the following as the most important reason for not having broadband service20% Monthly broadbandsubscription cost too2827 expensive437% Computer too expensive2319Smartphone does everything they need1211 1057Other options for internet 9 access outside of home9Service insufficient or not available161322 Some other reason141815 None given/DK/Refused2015 2019 2021Note: Figures may not add up to the NET value due to rounding. The 2019 report calculated the NET values by adding the two rounded values together. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021. “Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021”PEW RESEARCH CENTERwww.pewresearch.org10 PEW RESEARCH CENTERA majority of those without home broadband are not interested in having it in the futureRoughly seven-in-ten nonbroadband users (71%) say they would not be interested in having broadband at home, while 25% think a home broadband subscription is something that interests them. This is not a statistically significant increase from the 2019 survey, when 18% said they would be interested in having broadband at home.Roughly seven-in-ten non-broadband users say they are not interested in having broadband at home% of non-broadband users in the U.S. who say they …Would be interested in having Would not be interested in havinghigh-speed internet at homehigh-speed internet at home2571Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021. “Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021”PEW RESEARCH CENTERIn previous Center surveys, Americans have indicated they think that not having broadband could be tied to a number of disadvantages – including difficulties finding job opportunities or being disadvantaged in getting access to government services.www.pewresearch.org11 PEW RESEARCH CENTERAcknowledgmentsThis report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the following individuals. Find related reports online at pewresearch.org/internet. Primary researcher Andrew Perrin, Research Analyst Research team Lee Rainie, Director, Internet and Technology Research Monica Anderson, Associate Director, Research Emily A. Vogels, Research Associate Colleen McClain, Research Associate Editorial and graphic design Michael Keegan, Information Graphics Designer Margaret Porteus, Information Graphics Designer David Kent, Senior Copy Editor Communications and web publishing Haley Nolan, Communications Associate Kelsey Beveridge, Communications Associate Sara Atske, Associate Digital Producer Shannon Greenwood, Digital Producer In addition, the project benefited greatly from the guidance of Pew Research Center’s methodology team: Courtney Kennedy, Andrew Mercer, Nick Bertoni, Dorene Asare-Marfo, Nick Hatley, Ashley Amaya and Arnold Lau.www.pewresearch.org12 PEW RESEARCH CENTERMethodologyThe analysis in this report is based on telephone interviews conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021, among a national sample of 1,502 adults, ages 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia (300 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 1,202 were interviewed on a cellphone, including 845 who had no landline telephone). The survey was conducted by interviewers under the direction of Abt Associates. A combination of landline and cellphone random-digit-dial samples were used; both samples were provided by Dynata according to Abt Associates specifications. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. Respondents in the landline sample were selected by randomly asking for the youngest adult male or female who is now at home. Interviews in the cell sample were conducted with the person who answered the phone if that person was an adult age 18 or older. For detailed information about our survey methodology, see: https://www.pewresearch.org/methodology/u-s-survey-research/The combined landline and cellphone sample is weighted using an iterative technique that matches gender, age, education, race, Hispanic origin and nativity and region to parameters from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey one-year estimates and population density to parameters from the decennial census. The sample also is weighted to match current patterns of telephone status (landline only, cellphone only, or both landline and cellphone), based on extrapolations from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey. The weighting procedure also accounts for the fact that respondents with both landline and cellphones have a greater probability of being included in the combined sample and adjusts for household size among respondents with a landline phone. The margins of error reported and statistical tests of significance are adjusted to account for the survey’s design effect, a measure of how much efficiency is lost from the weighting procedures.The following table shows the unweighted sample sizes and the error attributable to sampling that would be expected at the 95% level of confidence for different groups in the survey:Group Total sampleBroadband users Non-broadband usersAges 18-29Unweighted sample size1,5021,217 285220Plus or minus … 2.9 percentage points3.2 percentage points 6.7 percentage points7.3 percentage pointswww.pewresearch.org13 PEW RESEARCH CENTER30-49 50-64 65+4165.2 percentage points3825.8 percentage points4295.8 percentage pointsSample sizes and sampling errors for other subgroups are available upon request.In addition to sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.Pew Research Center undertakes all polling activity, including calls to mobile telephone numbers, in compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and other applicable laws.Pew Research Center is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization and a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.www.pewresearch.org14 PEW RESEARCH CENTERTopline questionnaireJanuary 2021 Core Trends SurveyAbt Associates for Pew Research CenterToplineSample: n=1,502 U.S. adults age 18 or older nationwide, including 1,202 cellphone interviews Interviewing dates: January 25, 2021 – February 8, 2021 Margin of error: ± 2.9 percentage points for results based on Total [n=1,502]NOTE: ALL NUMBERS ARE PERCENTAGES UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. ROWS/COLUMNS MAY NOT TOTAL 100% DUE TO ROUNDING. PERCENTAGES LESS THAN 0.5% ARE REPLACED BY AN ASTERISK (*). IF NO ONE ANSWERED THE QUESTION, THE CELL CONTAINS ZERO (0). A DOUBLE HYPHEN (--) INDICATES THAT THE RESPONSE OPTION WAS NOT PRESENT IN THAT SURVEY.OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS SURVEY HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY RELEASED OR HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE.BBHOME1 Do you subscribe to dial-up internet service at home... OR do you subscribe to a higherspeed broadband service such as DSL, cable, or fiber optic service?BBHOME2 [ASK IF BBHOME1=DIAL-UP:] Just to confirm, you use a dial-up connection to the internet at home, and not a higher-speed broadband connection?Based on home internet subscribers [N=1,288]Current February 2019 January 2018July 2015DIAL-UP2 2 3 3HIGHERSPEED91 92 90 91(VOL.) BOTH DIAL-UP AND HIGHERSPEED3321(VOL.) ACCESS NET ON CELL ORTABLET ONLY1***(VOL.) NO HOME NET ACCESS* * * 1(VOL.) DK4 2 5 4(VOL.) REF.0 * * *SUMMARY OF HOME BROADBANDBased on home internet subscribers [N=1,288]CURRENT94 6Home broadband users No home broadband/DKFEBRUARY 201994 6JANUARY 201891 9JULY 201592 8Based on totalwww.pewresearch.org15 PEW RESEARCH CENTERCURRENT77 23Home broadband users No home broadband/DKFEBRUARY 201973 27JANUARY 201865 35JULY 201567 33SMART2 Is your cellphone a smartphone, or not?Based on cellphone owners [N=1,468]Current [N=1,468] February 2019 [N=1,465] January 2018 [N=1,933] November 2016 [N=2,926]May 2016 [N=992] April 2016 [N=1,535] November 2015 [N=2,606] July 2015 [N=1,903] April 2015 [N=1,900] September 2013 [N=5,763] August 2013 [N=1,636] May 2013 [N=2,076] December 2012 [N=1,954] November 2012 [N=1,992] September 2012 [N=2,581] April 2012 [N=1,954] February 2012 [N=1,961] May 2011 [N=1,914]YES, SMARTPHONE87 84 82 81 76 78 76 73 73 61 60 55 52 55 53 46 45 33NO, NOT A SMARTPHONE12 15 17 16 17 16 17 20 21 32 33 39 41 38 40 44 46 53(VOL.) DON’T KNOW1 1 1 3 7 6 7 7 5 7 6 5 6 6 6 10 8 14(VOL.) REFUSED* 0 * * 0 * * * * * * * * * * * * *BBSMART2 Would you like to have high-speed internet at home, or is that not something you're interested in?Based on non-broadband users [N=285]CURRENT25 71 3 *Yes, interested No, not interested (VOL.) Don’t know (VOL.) RefusedFEBRUARY 201918 80 1 1JULY 201525 70 3 2www.pewresearch.org16 PEW RESEARCH CENTERBBSMART3 Please tell me whether any of the following are reasons why you do not have highspeed internet at home. First, how about [INSERT ITEMS; RANDOMIZE]? Is this a reason why you do not have high-speed internet at home?YESItem A: Based on non-broadband usersa. The monthly cost of a home broadband subscription is too expensiveCurrent [N=285]45February 2019 [N=357]50July 2015 [N=605]59Item B: Based on non-broadband usersb. The cost of a computer is too expensiveCurrent [N=285]37February 2019 [N=357]31July 2015 [N=605]45Item C: Based on non-broadband users who have a smartphone c. Your smartphone lets you do everything onlinethat you need to doCurrent [N=175]72February 2019 [N=208]72July 2015 [N=244]65Item D: Based on non-broadband usersd. You have other options for internet access outside of your homeCurrent [N=285]46February 2019 [N=357]43July 2015 [N=605]46Item E: Based on non-broadband userse. Broadband service is not available where you live, or is not available at an acceptable speedCurrent [N=285]25February 2019 [N=357]22July 2015 [N=605]23(VOL.) DON’TNOKNOW(VOL.) REFUSED46814271344260216441503227**27*02943521153415022611316116163132www.pewresearch.org17 PEW RESEARCH CENTERItem F: Based on non-broadband usersf. Some other reason I haven’t already mentioned (SPECIFY)Current [N=285] February 2019 [N=357] July 2015 [N=605]277021178111256952Next, what about [INSERT NEXT ITEM]? [IF NECESSARY: Is this a reason why you do not have broadband service at home?] BBSMART4 Thinking of the reasons why you do not have broadband service at home, which of them is the MOST important? Is it that [READ; ONLY INCLUDE “YES” RESPONSES FROM BBSMART3; LIST RESPONSES IN SAME ORDER AS BBSMART3]?3Based on non-broadband users [N=285]CURRENT20 1999 7 22 5 * 10The monthly cost of a home subscription is too expensive Your smartphone lets you do everything online that you need to do Broadband service is not available where you live, or is not available at an acceptable speed You have other options for internet access outside of your home The cost of a computer is too expensive Or some other reason (VOL.) Don’t know BBSMART4 (VOL.) Refused BBSMART4 None is a reasonFEBRUARY 201921 23711 6 13 4 2 12JULY 201533 12510 10 16 3 3 9PROB How often, if ever, do you experience problems connecting to the internet at home?Based on internet users [N=1,413]CURRENT10 22 44 23 * *Often Sometimes Rarely Never (VOL.) Don’t know (VOL.) RefusedBased on total3 Question was asked of respondents who gave two or more “Yes” responses in BBSMART3. Results shown here also include respondents who gave only one “Yes” response in BBSMART3.www.pewresearch.org18 PEW RESEARCH CENTERCURRENT9 21 41 21 * * 7Often Sometimes Rarely Never (VOL.) Don’t know (VOL.) Refused Does not use the internetwww.pewresearch.org
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