ICYMI - Global Smartphone Use: What New Data Tell Us

Content From: HIV.govPublished: August 06, 20191 min read

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Three female farmers look at a phone.
Credit: iStock

According to recent data from Pew Research Center, approximately 20% of American adults are "smartphone-only" internet users - meaning they own a smartphone, like an iPhone, but do not have access to traditional home broadband service. This is important for HIV communications because populations most at risk for, or living with, HIV are also those who are often most likely to be smartphone-dependent. But smartphones aren't just impacting access to health information in the U.S.

Another recently-released Pew Research Center report on global smartphone ownershipExit Disclaimer shows that, while more than than 5 billion people around the world have mobile devices with more than 50% of those connections via smartphones, the growth in mobile technology has not been equal. "People in advanced economies are more likely to have mobile phones - smartphones in particular - and are more likely to use the internet and social media than people in emerging economies."

Read the full reportExit Disclaimer [PDF, 1.3MB] to learn more about how technology use is still more common among young people and the well-educated around the world.