Does Your Smartphone Choice Predict if You’re a Liberal or Conservative?
- Posted on August 18, 2011 at 3:55pm by
Liz Klimas
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A recent, unscientifically conducted study by Hunch.com (via Live Science) confirms stereotypes already held in the smartphone community. In case you didn’t know, Android users are generally more politically conservative and late bloomers when it comes to technology. Whereas iPhone users lean toward the left, “make more money . . . and enjoy the finer things in life.”
According to Hunch, the survey was conducted using 80 million aggregated and anonymous responses from its “Teach Hunch About You” questionnaire, which was taken by about 700,000 users. Hunch is a website that “personalizes the Internet by helping you share and discover great recommendations about all sorts of topics.”
Of the Hunch users who took the survey, more than 15,818 answered the question: What type of operating system does your cell phone use? Thirty-two percent said Apple/iOS, 21 percent Android, 23 percent other OS, 16 percent I don’t know/don’t have a cell phone and 8 percent Windows.
Here’s the breakdown of characteristics between Android and iPhone users. See if you agree.
Android users most likely:
- Male age 18-34
- Conservative
- Mathemathally-inclined
- Never traveled outside of country (71 percent more likely)
- Don’t remember last vacation (36 percent more likely)
- First used Internet after 2000 (47 percent more likely)
- Use Yahoo mail
- Listens to telemarketers
- Favorite TV shows: How I Met Your Mother, Louie, The Walking Dead
- Favorite books: Lord of the Rings, 1984
- Cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
- Steak
iPhone users most likely:
- Women, older than 35
- Liberal
- Slightly more optimistic
- Strong verbal aptitude
- Visited more than five countries
- Prefer a sleek device that does a few things (122 percent more likely)
- First been on the Internet before 1992
- Mac users (1oo percent more likely)
- Own own email domain
- Hang up immediately on telemarketers
- Favorite TV shows: Planet Earth, Portlandia
- Favorite books: A Visit From the Goonsquad, Switch
- Cereal: Kashi GoLean Crunch
- Sushi
Let us know what you think about these stereotypes.























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Comments (161)
Glenn is Right
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:40pmGo Phone = Intelligent
Report Post »USAMEDIC3008
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 5:20pmRight
Report Post »mine is about 6,7 years old
Now thats conservitive……………
Seabee79
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 6:00pmI have the new focus windows phone. it’s great.
Report Post »jb.kibs
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 8:30pmthe poll is FTL.
Report Post »theEmirOfGroofunkistan
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 10:14pmwindows phone and conservative :)
Report Post »Marci
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 2:09amThere were only two choices—either you are conservative and a stereotype or conservative and iphone user. Pfffft. Who really cares???
Report Post »Marci
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 2:13amOh geez, we have a few defensive Iphone users. It’s just a damn phone and the purpose of these stupid surveys is to blimp up the heads of ignorant liberals the same way they convince them in their left leaning classes that they are so much more worldly and educated—-then tell them how only that type would vote for Obama. It’s junk science designed to manipulate the masses.
Report Post »Florida_Freedom_Fighter
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 8:53amBeen on the internet before ‘92—– I don’t think so,………I started on my dad‘s gateway 233 in ’96, internet wise. Been using Apples & Pc‘s since ’97, Started Yahoo in 1996. 1st new computer, ‘98 emachine then 1999 iBook, I use BlackBerry
Report Post »uv
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 12:47pmTin cans + long string = very private.
Report Post »Tony Cat
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:35pmHaha, all you iphone users are like 45 year old women! You guys are Hillary Clinton! Look, the iphone is a great phone, and it paved the way, but Android has caught up and Passed the iphone.
You guys Just got Folders!! The iphone 3Gs didn’t even have folders. And even with the iphone 4, your folders don’t scroll!! Once you put in 12 apps, its full!
iPhones don’t support Flash and never will! You can’t create a MiFi hotspot. You don’t have Live Wallpaper, you don’t have widgets! Come on Apple, get back int he game. Sure you got market share, but you’re not thebest phone anymore.
You’re like RedBull, sure you were innovative and took the lead, but now there’s better products out there. If the new iPhone doesn’t have an 8mpx camera, or a 3D camera, or support widgets, or have scrollable folders, or live wallpapers, whats the frickin point?
Hey at least you’ll have great screen resolution so you can see how bad you suck next to Android ;)
Report Post »El Paco
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:56pmI think someone has been watching a lot of Jim Rome is Burning. That was an epic take.
Can I get a decaYEA!!!
And for that, I applaude you!!
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:57pmSorry, don’t have a smartphone, don’t need one. I’m not a trend-follower or a Jones-keeper-upper. I have found that the left-leaning types usually use/worship Apple products. I don’t care much for Android, either. I wonder where that puts me? This unscientific poll doesn’t mean much of anything anyhow.
Report Post »lemmings4obama
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 5:20pm@ATI Me either, i just had to search ebay for a phone that does NOT have GPS capabilities. I know my location is pinged when I use it, but I‘ll never buy a Google phone and that’s all the Android’s seem to be. If it calls and texts then that’s all I need. I’m surrounded by computers all day and all night, and I’m certainly not willing to pay for the data plans. They seem to be part of the materialistic mortar in the Tower of Babel to me and I’m working on simplifying my life not adding more to it.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 5:21pmI have a go-phone from walmart. My husband has an Iphone only because his liberal brother bought him one. We’re on his plan as additional phones (he works for AT&T) so we save money and he does. It costs about $15 (including the taxes) to add another phone, and we pay him $20 each plus $15 for the cheapest data program. Costs less than our own plan, and he gets $10 extra a month for handling everything. Win-win. But BIL fits most of the Iphone properties.
Report Post »Berbel73
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 5:42pmAnd I’ll be the one laughing when you DL a virus from that thing you call a market place. At least with Apple I know the apps aren’t going to be filled with malware or viruses. And as far as all that other useless crap you mentioned, I don‘t need ’em. My iPhone 4 does everything that I need: I get music, video, email, mobile navigation, internet, games, I can track my finances… and it’s a phone!! So if you want to be a tech snob then I’d have to say that this survey has got the results backwards!
Report Post »BluifoxEd
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 7:20pm42 conservative male iPhone. I also voted for Perot twice!!!
Report Post »poozak
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 10:52pmSeldom have I ever want to correct a Bozo online about Techy Things. Maybe someone else will do the heavy lifting, I think you bored me to near death. Before I blow you off as a nano-adopter, (”Oh look, it comes in Pink!”) consider yourself as a little wanna-be geek that probably keeps the box of your Zune under your bed at your folks’ over-mortgaged (run-down) home, in suburban Akron. Later, Droid. ZZZZ
Report Post »12uN3
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 3:32am@Berbel73,
Report Post »your an idiot, that’s the same philosophy that the apple fanboys have about windows. You do realize that viruses aren’t really the threat right? You are falsely criticizing the android os just as the mac fanboys ignorantly criticize without actually knowing facts about real security. The real threat is spyware, which you don’t even take into account by your admission of using financial apps, lol. If you were really concerned about real security you wouldn’t ever think about touching a bank-linked app, or even banking online for that matter. Yes there is always going to be a threat when you have a open marketplace, duh, but that’s were real innovation occurs(open-source environments). Now onto actual mac/iphone threats…
Oh gee there is spyware for the iphone as well…in fact there are many programs that you can sms to the iphone and instantly brick it…hmm argument for iphone os being better security…dead. Yes macs do have less of a threat than windows…hmmm wonder why…maybe because windows is universally used in more business environments than mac do to there dominance of the market and actual server os? If i were a blackhat i would definitely go after the easy money. Mac on the other hand does still suffer from spyware and more importantly penetration via exploits. Pwned is still pwned, and root still root no matter what OS or technique is used.
Ed_Kel
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 8:56amI can’t even begin to tell you how wrong you are! Android’s are fragmented, and partially because of over extended folders. Flash is a joke. It drains battery life and corrupts registries; not to mention, it crashes frequently and store unneeded data on your phone. The only thing us iPhone users miss out on because of not having flash are primarily internet ads. In fact, Abode themselves are fizzling out flash with their new application called Muze, which replaces Flash with HTML5
Ironically enough, HTML5 was originally pioneered by Apple…..
Animated wallpapers? Drains battery life unnecessarily and who stares at their phone long enough to justify it? I would rather quickly access my YNAB budget than watch little fragmendroids flying around the screen.
Wanna talk about the iPhone being behind? How’s that MP3 player working for ya? Google has had many years to perfect their MP3 player and still can’t get it right.
I’m 26; conservative libertarian; male; and a proud iPhone user, among other Apple products. I program as a hobby for both Windows and Apple machines and use Apple products because I need machines (and phones) that just work. Time is money and I don’t have the time to dink around with a cheap phone or computer for that matter. Why I say all of this is to paint the picture that this poll cannot be further from the truth.
Report Post »Taquoshi
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 9:34amI think the real question is why someone has a phone and how they use it. I have an iPhone that I bought second hand after my first phone was stolen. Both phones are for business purposes, so I’m not into animated wall paper or Flash or lots of apps. Our town gives the elected officials (like the Mayor) Blackberries and the rest of the regular employees who need them Verizon cellphones. I know of two police officers who turned in their “official” cellphones and use their personal phones because there are sections of town where the coverage wasn’t good on the “official” phone.
We’re not geeks or treadsetters in this household. We use the phones as phones and cameras, not as mini-TVs or Internet browsers. However, I was extremely thankful the night I took a wrong turn in the dark, in the rain and was able to use my iPhone to get the map to show me where I was and more importantly how to get back on the right track.
Report Post »Deborah Compton
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 10:56amThis is just silly. I am a conservative, a female older than 35, been working with computers ever since I went to school mid 80′s to learn COBOL, I have been to over 4 different countries, my yahoo accont is only a month old, and have been on the internet since ‘93. I started with a blackberry curve, but now have a Galaxy S android phone.
My sister is a conservative, very new to technology and has an iPhone.
(I bought my smart phone first). In my circle I am the one to call when anyone needs help with new technology.
Report Post »Rice Water
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 6:54pmThere’s obviously an agenda with this otherwise pointless survey to make Apple users look like a bunch of effeminate, elitist homos (did Steve Jobs do something to piss off Beck?). The basic difference for me comes down to:
a) My MacBook is a great tool for audio production and graphic design. It is fast, reliable, and has superior, solid craftsmanship.
b) My PC is fun for playing games and watching movies, and I’ve had to replace the hard drive twice.
I know this is somewhat removed from the smartphone debate, but it illustrates the differences in philosophy between Apple and…well, everybody else:
If you want a device to enhance your creativity and productivity, get a Mac. If you want to download that Kim Kardashian porn clip and kick butt on World of Warcraft, get a PC.
Report Post »12uN3
Posted on August 20, 2011 at 1:56amlol another apple fanboy ******….actually it was Ian Hickson of Google who edited html 5 moron
Report Post »Locked
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:34pm“A recent, unscientifically conducted study”
Done. This is a study on Hunch users, not Americans.
Report Post »Dougral Supports Israel
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:33pmI don’t use a smartphone but if I did it would be an Android. Why? Because Apple is too controlling. You have to get apps from their store and the app has to be approved by Apple or it won’t be there. Apple’s store also wants a cut of any fees paid for subscription content accessed by one of those apps. I have not heard the same about Android and the OS seems much more open. I guess Liberals like Big Brother looking after their apps.
Report Post »Rapunzel
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 5:40pmLOL, I think you just identified why liberals gravitate to iPhones and conservatives to androids! Apple is like the nanny state and android is limited government!
Report Post »American Soldier (Separated)
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 6:22pmMy iPhone is jailbroken, so I can do whatever I like with it. I can do even more on my iPhone then any Android can. The phone has the potential to be even better than Android, Apply just purposely keeps it simple. Simplicity sells and the iPhone is simple to use.
Report Post »oldanbo
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 1:04amditto
Report Post »12uN3
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 3:51am@American Soldier
Report Post »Jailbreaking iphone=root for android…only with android there are a plethora of custom roms(cyanogen, darkslide, liberty, etc.)that can be installed that have some pretty amazing features, so your comment lacks actual research into the full potential of android.
i_believe
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:31pmI don’t agree as I use Android but really had second thoughts with its close association with Google. I also use Windows but detest Microsoft’s ownership. Go figure.
/Steve
Report Post »Jabocx
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:31pmOhhhh no, what do I do? I have a Windows phone!
Report Post »alexegz30
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:29pmSounds like the same kind of poor reporting that claims the tea party is full of rich, white, old racists. The truth is likely too much for them to handle. The People make the choice as to what they buy and who they support, not the “White, or Rich, or Black or whatever people you want to label us as. This, like all their tactics is just another method of dividing the people of this country so they can be more easily controlled. I like Apple products and own a PC. I don’t see a reason to dis one side or another. They all have their pros and cons, as do we all, but only together can a society work, otherwise we are little more than the extremists who live on threats and intimidation; demanding you either do things their way or else. I choose freedom, thank you.
Report Post »Lonescrapper
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:28pmThis looks more like a ‘male’ vs ‘female’ phone more than conservative vs liberal.
Report Post »gmoneytx
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 6:20pmThat’s what I think!
Report Post »IowaWoman
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 12:07amI own a Blackberry, it runs windows. It does what I need, it is paid for and my plan is cheap. That is conservative, paid for and the least expensive plan. As always according to the experts I have to be Liberal. WRONG!
Report Post »Meyvn
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:28pmA 47 yr old conservative libertarian here. I won’t use a smart phone. Intrigued by Math but by no means an expert, Hate traveling outside of country, I remember last vacation, but spent it chasing whitetail deer, First used Internet well before 1992 and before browsers were available, will not use Yahoo mail, and grudgingly use gmail, have owned many domains, am a sysyem admin and develop web sites, screw w/ telemarketers and sometimes hangup on them, my favorite TV show left the Fox network a few weeks ago, so don’t watch much now, favorite books: The Bible and extra biblical literature, don’t each much cereal, lots of steak, garden veggies and home-made bread!
What a joke this is.
Report Post »GENEPAGLIARI
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:59pmYES, YES AND YES. DON’T have a favorite tv show, except maybe PAWN STARS.
Report Post »Lonescrapper
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:25pmOMG! I think I’m male and I have the wrong phone!!
Report Post »brotherjohn
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 5:20pmPlease clarify, are you unsure that you are a male or that you have the wrong phone, or both?
Report Post »Sy Kosys
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 9:41pm(snickers)
Report Post »teddyc73
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:22pmWhat about those of us that hate smartphones and refuse to own one….like me.
Report Post »MODEL82A1
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:26pmYou advertise yourself as willfully ignorant. Having access to almost all of human knowledge in the palm of your hand at all times is a powerful, life changing thing. Sorry to hear about your unfortunate choice.
Report Post »Brizz
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:31pm@MODEL82A1
Report Post »Time to unplug for a little bit.
Meyvn
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:32pmPerhaps human data in your palm, among other things ;-) I would not go as far to say it’s human knowledge.
Report Post »Dougral Supports Israel
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:35pmI get enough Internet access at work and at home. I have no need to pay big bucks for a fancy phone that would do little more than annoy me to death. Choosing not to use such a device is an informed choice for many.
Report Post »MODEL82A1
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:52pmWow, so a lot of you aren’t just willfully ignorant, but Proudly, willfully ignorant. Very sad.
Report Post »12 gauge
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:53pm@TEDDYC73 Agreed, I hate smartphones. And dumbphones too. I bet a majority of us who hate smartphones are conservatives. @MODEL82A1 carefull not to assume. As a software developer, I am online, plugged in, wired up and connected many hours of the day.
Report Post »MODEL82A1
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:58pm12 Guage, “many” ain’t “all”. That’s not an assumption.
Report Post »Forced_Union_Worker
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 5:03pmI threw away my cell phone when I retired. There is nothing liberating, or life changing about a phone. It’s just a phone! I have 4 desk top and 2 laptop computers in my home that’s enough information for me. Those people that love all of the new apps should be aware that the hackers are now targeting phones thru these apps. Apple just had to remove hundreds of apps from their apps store due to virus problems. Just like any other internet connected device, you need to safeguard your personal information … that now includes your fancy phones.
Report Post »MODEL82A1
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 5:09pmI really pity you folks who claim you get “enough” information and don’t need or want any more. I want all the information I can possibly get. Information is the raw data that, processed through intellect, leads to intelligence and understanding. No wonder I’m smarter than you.
Report Post »hclewk
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 5:21pmI understand that smart phones are not for everyone. A lot of people just don’t care to have that kind of access to data. That said, people like “12 Guage” that just blindly hate smart phones really don’t know what they are missing. 5 years ago smart phones sucked. Today, you can do so much with them – and that includes turning them off! I was on vacation 2 weeks ago in the middle of nowhere enjoying nature. My phone was off 95% of the time, but I was able to occasionally, once or twice a day, check my email on my phone to make sure nothing disastrous happened while I was gone. One day I got an email that a server of mine was having issues. I connected to the server via an SSH client on my phone and fixed the problem in 5 minutes.
The thing that most of the anti-smartphone crowd doesn‘t understand is that you don’t have to always have it on! I have my phone set to essentially turn off from 8PM until 8AM every day automatically.
Report Post »SacredHonor1776
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 6:17pmIt’s not the quantity of information its about the quality of information… The internet is filled with alot of junk information… You have to weed through it for the gems…
Report Post »Fear The Voices
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 10:31pm@MODEL82A1 Seems to me that you are exactly the type of person my Marketing professor would have loved. I am by PC’s and phones all day long…. Why would I want some annoying device to bother me during the few times I get away from a normal phone or PC? Smart phones are not life changing, they’re just the result of a well planned marketing exercise to generate more revenues for the manufacturers.
Report Post »Meyvn
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 11:00pm@MODEL82A1: So you think you can take it all in? I bet Dis-Info throws you into a tizzy. You are coming across as quite the… D u m b @ s s !
Report Post »Meyvn
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 11:03pm@MODEL82A1″ If you think a phone makes you smart. You have another thing coming. Good luck in the social meltdown that’s in our near future! hehe.
Report Post »KPEdwards
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:21pmThis is based on an incorrect reading of the results in the infographic. When it says X% more likely to be Y. It means that there is a higher chance of Y occurring in one set as opposed to the other. Not that most of one set is X. Hence the more than 100% more likely to be mac users for iPhone.
X% more likely to be Y in Group 1
Report Post »=/=
Group 1 is likely to be Y.
macpappy
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 6:07pmok, thanks
Report Post »evilhatemonger
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:21pmBS.
Report Post »Some products may reflect political leanings, your phone isn’t one of them.
UlyssesP
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:21pmI’m not so dumb that I want my phone to be smart. Just an invitation to hackers. If you don‘t believe me I don’t care. I’ve probably already hacked your iPhone.
Report Post »NEUTRON
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:19pmI’m gunna have to agree with this poll. Android FTW. I love to watch the TV show “The Walking Dead” and I love steak!! This is just mind boggling. :)
Report Post »SREGN
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:19pmI don’t want a phone at all. Damn electronic leash. That must make me a Libertarian.
Report Post »BrianCK
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:12pm41 y/o Male, uses an iPhone which is corporate provided…hey the price is right…I don’t see the bill.
Report Post »jado1981
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:09pmI don’t listen to Rush much, but I know he gives out ipads, iphones and imacs as gifts… is this to say he’s liberal? This is odd, considering google owns android, and android is supposedly more for the conservative.
Report Post »semihardrock
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:09pmHOLY ****! I think I just became a 35 year old woman!
Report Post »Rajabear1
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:20pmHee Hee–FUNNY!! Thank you for the laugh.
Report Post »Bonnieblue2A
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:08pmNot only am a female, Conservative and an iPhone user but I own stock in Apple. I guess that makes me an evil investor too.
Report Post »lisa2994
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:07pmI guess my Android says it all.. lol
Report Post »GlennBeckFTW
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:05pmI agree, although a lot of nag wives of conservatives use them as well-personal experience of mine and her friends *cough
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:02pmWHAT? No blackberry?
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:01pm90% of the cars with Obama stickers on them have the little Apple symbol in the window. The apple with a bite out of it represents original sin, no wonder liberals love it.
Report Post »TumbleBumble
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:19pmAlso, 90% of the cars with Obama stickers are foreign. Go figure.
Report Post »Meyvn
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:36pm50% of cars with Obama stickers have been removed by the owners. I even know a few that have.
Report Post »On The Bayou
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 3:59pmNext story please.
Report Post »Brizz
Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:29pmThis just goes to show that?
Report Post »A. stereotypes aren’t always right
B. this study was a waste of $$$
C. The Blaze editors are desperate
D. ALL OF THE ABOVE