Technology

Just How Many Texts do Young Adults Send Per Day?

Unlimited texting plans come in handy for 18-to-24-year-olds. According to a recent survey from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, this age group holds the most active texters, exchanging an average of 109.5 texts per day. That’s 3,200 per month.

Americans Still Prefer to Talk Before Text

Although texting rules the roost in this age group, the majority of Americans still report preferring a call over texts, but not by much at 53 percent. As the current 18-24 generation gets older, it is expected that this number will drop in favor of texting. Gizmodo’s Kyle Wagner sums up his personal sentiment of why texting is superior in most cases:

There’s obviously a place for phone calls. Catching up with family, long-distance relationships, letting the family of the heiress you‘re ransoming know you’re serious—some situations call for, well, a call. But if there’s no immediacy or required intimacy to a call, I feel like it’s better left as a text.

Americans Still Prefer to Talk Before Text

Those considered “heavy texters” — 50 texts or more per day — are 55 percent more likely to choose texting over calls.

With 83 percent of Americans owning a cellphone, the average user makes 12 calls per day and sends 41.5 texts. These 2011 results show little variation from the same survey conducted in 2010.


[H/T PC World]

Comments (18)

  • swampbuck
    Posted on September 22, 2011 at 7:01am

    I’m 49 and send an average of 50 a day to my hunting buddies around the country… lol

    It is also easier while at work to send a quick text to family…

    Report Post » swampbuck  
  • TH30PH1LUS
    Posted on September 22, 2011 at 3:02am

    yy U R yy U B I C U R yy 4 me

    Report Post » TH30PH1LUS  
  • LovinUSA
    Posted on September 21, 2011 at 8:27pm

    I have never been in a crowd that I don’t see at least 5 – 10 people checking text messages that are truly insignifighant, This is toatlly dumber than dog ****.

    Report Post » LovinUSA  
  • LovinUSA
    Posted on September 21, 2011 at 8:23pm

    too damn many for no other reason but …. because they can……………..

    Report Post » LovinUSA  
  • Injunator
    Posted on September 21, 2011 at 4:02pm

    Proverbs 1:31
    Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices

    Report Post »  
  • Grace1798
    Posted on September 21, 2011 at 12:22pm

    I can text as well as my kids and grandkids and I would have kept texting except for the monthly charge! I don’t need texting to contact someone for the price these companies want you to pay. I am not into throwing my money away on this kind of extravagence. I strive to be like the telephone companies and get people to give me money for services not the other way around. Poor people buy everything they see and live paycheck to paycheck. That’s a poverty mentality. Best to think like the people who know how to make money instead of throwing it away.

    Report Post » Grace1798  
  • lakemom
    Posted on September 21, 2011 at 8:53am

    LOL….they can really rack up the numbers when sending group texts. Like what’s up? to all their friends at once. My high schooler and college kids have in the 4-8 THOUSAND texts per month each and they don’t spend all that much time on the phones texting. You’d think with those numbers it would be 24/7. But its rare we have to remind them to put the phone away because its either dinner time or family time. Me, I use about 100-150 per month mostly communicating with the above mentioned kids!

    Report Post »  
  • Debber
    Posted on September 21, 2011 at 8:53am

    There is a value to texting – quick & to the point. So when you need a quick answer, texting is fine. Sad that young adults rely on it so heavily–and for everything!!! I feel: you don’t need to be in CONSTANT contact with others. Do your own thing–HAVE and LIVE a life of your own. Make decisions on your own without ‘getting a consensus’ from everyone you know first! k?

    Report Post » Debber  
  • Xlugon Pyro
    Posted on September 21, 2011 at 7:33am

    I’m 19 and I text people maybe 4 times a month.

    I’m as much of an outlier as you can get.

    Report Post »  
  • machetes_n_cake
    Posted on September 20, 2011 at 11:49pm

    I’m 29, I probably send 9-10 texts a day. Boy, I thought I texted a lot! Compared to my age group, I’m way behind. hmm.
    I probably still make 4-5 phone calls a day. Texts aren’t as warm as a voice. You can’t always hear the undertones in a text. Then again, you can’t see body language or facial expressions on the phone.
    I prefer to talk in person. Call me old fashioned.

    Report Post » machetes_n_cake  
  • kmaine1
    Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:05pm

    The gov’t better fix the SS disability syst. By the time these 18-24s are 40-50s, they’re gonna have an explosion of carpol tunnel disibility claims, the likes they’ve never seen!!

    Report Post »  
  • beefymclovin
    Posted on September 20, 2011 at 6:21pm

    ive had up to 15,000 texts a month. thats including my yahoo messenger mobile. im also 30. a large portion of those were to my brother in iraq thru yahoo messenger. also i upload pictures to various websites and update statuses through text message as well. most months i only use 5-10 minutes of talk time.

    Report Post » beefymclovin  
  • UrbanFool
    Posted on September 20, 2011 at 6:17pm

    I prefer to text my husband if I’m wanting him to bring home food or groceries of some kind. I’m in the 1 or 2 texts per week range, however. I guess I fail.

    Report Post » UrbanFool  
  • Scarab Sport
    Posted on September 20, 2011 at 3:58pm

    My daughter (age 22) has that beat. I looked at the phone bill and she had 7,200 text messages in a month. Lucky I have the unlimited plan.She graduated from college and was looking for a job at the time. Told her if she spent as much time looking for a job as text messaging she would have several jobs. I asked her if she had a life outside cyber space? These kids (young adults) won’t even answer the phone when it rings. Don’t want to talk with people. She almost missed out on a job interview because she didn‘t recognize the phone number and didn’t want to answer the phone. Call me old fashioned. I just don’t get it?

    Report Post »  
    • mils
      Posted on September 20, 2011 at 6:03pm

      we have teens…appprox 14,000 a month on each phone…14,000….it better slow down now that school is in…
      really, some of the text are… “?, ya, ok, idk, x,yep,.”
      tk God for unlimited texting……..

      Report Post »  
    • Brizz
      Posted on September 21, 2011 at 12:15pm

      You are witnessing the social degradation of the youth. Congratulations.

      Nudge>>>>

      Report Post » Brizz  
  • On Eagle Wings
    Posted on September 20, 2011 at 3:55pm

    these kids are fast at it, by the time I have one word theyare pushing send

    Report Post »  
  • TomFerrari
    Posted on September 20, 2011 at 3:33pm

    wow!

    Think of all that LOST PRODUCTIVITY !

    Do you know how much time has to be spent texting 50-110 times a day?
    WOW !

    Not to mention safety issues while driving…

    .
    .
    .

    Report Post » TomFerrari  

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