Statistical Snapshots: Texting vs Talking

Statistical Snapshot

Texting vs Talking — That is the Question

o people prefer texting over talking on the phone? Maybe you have a friend or family member who never seems to answer when you call. Americans have access to more alternatives to phone-calling than ever before, and we wondered whether the traditional phone call is becoming a thing of the past. To find out, we surveyed 704 Americans regarding their preferences. Here’s what we discovered.

When it comes to communicating with contacts in their personal life:

99% say that they have a mobile phone

Only 31% of all respondents have a landline and Only 17% say they use it

75% text frequently, compared to only who report frequent use of phone calls 38%

report avoiding phone calls with those in their personal life 31%

When asked to rank different means of communication (e.g., texting, phone calling) in order of preference:

68% actually prefer text or email over phone calls with their personal contacts

whereas only 30% said that calling by phone was used the most often 56% say they use texting most often with romantic partners,

The popularity of texting covers all generations. It was ranked first by the following demographic groups.

59% of Millennials (24-39 years old)

50% of Gen Z (18-23 years old)

43% of Gen Xers (40-54 years old)

34% of Boomers (55-73 years old)

The average number of texts sent among all respondents was 32 per day and increases to 50 per day among millennials. It drops to an average of 12 per day among boomers.

Who was in our sample?

It was 46% female. The mean age was 37 years old with 20% of the sample being over 55 years old. The survey was conducted online among US citizens registered with Prolific survey recruitment platform.