Nearly 4 in 10 of Americans Own a Laptop, a Smartphone AND a Tablet

Consumer Attitudes

March 26, 2014 —Deloitte's eighth edition of the "Digital Democracy Survey" (formally the "State of the Media Democracy" survey) finds a 42% YOY growth in the number of U.S. consumers who own a trio of tablets, smartphones and laptops; this group (called "Digital Omnivore's by Deloitte) represents nearly 4 out of 10 consumers.

Deloitte’s annual study examines technology, media, and telecommunications consumption trends by surveying over 2,000 U.S. multi-generational consumers, ages 14 and older.

Select findings:

DEVICE OWNERSHIP​
 

• The majority (81%) of U.S consumers surveyed own a laptop; 65% own smartphones and 48% own tablets.

• The number of U.S. consumers who own a trio of tablets, smartphones and laptops (Digital Omnivores) jumped to 37% (up from 26% in 2012).

• This growth in Digital Omnivores is primarily driven by continued tablet adoption (33% increase) and smartphone ownership (18% increase). 

• Women, who made up over one-third (35%) of omnivores two years ago, now account for 45% of this group.

CHANGING CONSUMPTION HABITS
 

• U.S. consumer interest in streaming content has nearly doubled in the past year -- from 17% in 2012 to 32% in 2013.

• Consumption of media is increasing, but consumers prefer to rent versus purchase movies and TV programming by a ratio of 3:1 in 2013, compared to 2:1 in 2012. This trend is even more pronounced for the trailing millennials (14-24 year olds).

• Despite increased interest in digital formats, consumers' preference for Pay TV subscriptions remains consistent with last year's finding; consumers indicate they are largely content with their current Pay TV services. The survey notes than 6% of consumers who have paid TV services are considering giving up their service in the next year.

• Interest in purchasing a la carte programming is currently equal to consumer interest in bundled cable packages with both at 47% in 2013.

MORE MULTITASKING
 

• Surveyed consumers continue to be more distracted while watching home TVs, with 86% multitasking, up from 72% in 2011. The top multitasking activities are surfing the web, reading email and texting.

• Millennials are the biggest multitaskers, engaging in an average of four activities while watching TV; Gen-Xers and Boomers are also multitasking more, with both generations engaging in more than one additional activity in 2013 while watching TV.

• It's noted that less than one-quarter (22%) of multitasking activities are directly related to the TV programs consumers are watching.

SOCIAL MEDIA'S IMPACT
 

• More than half (54%) of U.S. consumers surveyed say they check social networks daily, 33% say they update/check their social network(s) 1-3 times a day.
   

• Among consumers, 68% say that online reviews or recommendations from someone within their social media circles have a high or medium level of influence over buying decisions. In addition, 60% of consumers report online reviews by someone they do not know have a high to medium influence over their buying decisions.

• Seven in 10 (71%) say TV commercials have a high or medium level of influence over their buying decisions. Other media influence: magazines - 57%, newspapers -51%, email ads - 48% and social media paid ads - 34%.

About: Fielded by an independent research firm between Nov. 22, 2013 - Dec. 5, 2013, the Deloitte survey employed an online methodology among 2,075 U.S. consumers. All data is weighted back to the most recent census data to give a representative view of what U.S. consumers are doing.
 

Source: Deloitte, Digital Democracy Survey, 8th edition, accessed March 28, 2014.