Women, iPhone users, young people report strongest bond with smartphone

Women, iPhone users and young people are most likely to say they can’t imagine life without their smartphone, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. 

In total, 46 percent of U.S. adults who own smartphones said they could not imagine life without their device. Another 54 percent disagreed with that statement.  

{mosads}There was a 10-point gap in that answer when comparing men and women. While 51 percent of women agreed with the statement, only 41 percent of men reported the same. 

That pattern was present in other questions as well. For example, 58 percent of women under the age of 30 said they would be very anxious if they lost their phone for a day. Only 38 percent of men under 30 said the same — a 20-point difference. 

Gallup did not try to explain the difference, but it raised the possibility that men may be less willing to admit the importance of their device. 

“It is also unclear if young women truly have a more intense relationship with their phones or if they are just more willing to admit it,” according to Gallup. 

Younger people as well as iPhone users also report a stronger bond with their phones. 

While a majority of people under 30 said they could not imagine life without their smartphone, only 40 percent of people over 65 said the same. 

When it comes to iPhone users, 52 percent said the could not imagine life without their device. Forty-three percent of Android users said the same, while only 27 percent of other smartphone users — like Windows or Blackberry — said the same. 

“Although iPhone users report higher household income on average than Android users, and are slightly more likely to be female, these differences don’t explain the higher attachment iPhone users feel toward their phones,” according to Gallup. 

Seventy percent said owning a smartphone has made their life better.

A recent Pew Research poll found that about 64 percent of U.S. adults report owning a smartphone. That includes 66 percent of men and 63 percent of women. Eighty-five percent of adults under 30 own one, while only 27 percent of people over the age of 65 do. 

Gallup’s online poll released Monday was based on 15,747 U.S. adults who own smartphones and was conducted between April and May.