Canadians Are Spending Less Time on Smartphones, Notes Ipsos Reid Poll

According to a recent study, Canadians are spending less time on smartphones and tablets, as noted in the spring 2012 wave of Ipsos Reid’s Mobil-ology, which studies the Canadian mobile market.

“Initially, seasonality was suspected as a cause of this reported behaviour,” says Mary Beth Barbour, Senior Vice President with Ipsos Reid. “However, the average duration of use has failed to return to the higher levels recorded a year earlier in spring 2011. This is beginning to suggest a potential shift in usage patterns.”

Wave 3 of their study conducted in March/April of this year notes device usage stabilized over time, with Canadians on average using their smartphones 222 times per month (about 7.4 times per day) and tablets 115 times per month. Their study revealed time spent on smartphones and tablets actually declined.

Weekday users reported spending 2.8 hours per day on their smartphone, a drop from 3.3 hours noted in the spring 2011, Wave 1 of the Mobil-ology study. Times spent on tablets and e-readers also dropped during this period. Other declines were noted in the frequency at which new apps were download and old ones deleted on their devices.

If you take a look anywhere, it seems people are spending MORE time on their phones than ever. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost bowled over ‘smartphones zombies’ for not paying attention while walking down the street.

How much time do you spend on your iPhone every day? Have you noticed an increase or decrease in the amount of time spent since you bought your phone?