In the last three years the number of Americans owning a smartphone has jumped from 35% to almost two-thirds but affordability has meant many have had difficulties paying for them, according to the latest Pew study.



Questioning over 2,000 people by phone, the research group found that smartphone ownership was up to 64% by the end of 2014, and that the number of Americans who depend on their smartphone as their primary portal to the internet 15%.

The study shows that while smartphone adoption is high, the cost of owning one and the associated phone contracts which can run as high as several hundred dollars have meant that 23% of all US smartphone owners and 48% of smartphone-dependent users have had to cancel or suspend their phone service because of the cost.

Aaron Smith, a senior researcher at Pew Research Center said: “The connections to online resources that smartphones facilitate are often most tenuous for those users who rely on those connections the most … but for many users this access may not be available when they need it due to financial stresses or technical constraints.”



The study also found that 15% of all US smartphone owners frequently ran out of their monthly mobile data allowance, while 51% of smartphone-dependent Americans run out of mobile data allowance at least occasionally during the month. Almost one-third said it happens frequently, showing that heavily restricted data allowances are a significant bottleneck to a mobile data-only lifestyle, while one-in-five smartphone users felt like they were a financial burden.

Despite new data-driven services, text messaging remained the most used smartphone app or service for Americans with 97% of those surveyed texting at least once a week, but voice and video calling isn’t as dead as often claimed: 93% of 18 to 29 year olds surveyed called someone at least once a week. Calling home was not ruled out as the source.

Having a smartphone provides instant access to information and makes keeping in contact with others substantially easier, but 30% of those surveyed said they felt a smartphone was like a leash rather than freeing, and 28% said it was distracting rather than connecting.

Smartphone penetration is nearing saturation in developed markets including the US and the UK, driven by cheaper and more accessible handsets from both Western and Chinese brands. The next big barrier to US smartphone adoption appears to be phone plan costs, according to the Pew data.

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