Survey: Gen Y Accessing Web On Mobile More Than PC

Many marketers continue to think that the mobile internet is still too small to be worth attention. Indeed, on a global basis the mobile web represents less than 5 percent of all internet traffic, according to StatCounter. (See Royal Pingdom on usage in specific regions.)

Two months ago Forrester Research issued a report dismissing location-based services as too marginal to be worth attention. Pew seemed to confirm that assessment with similar findings. The mobile skeptics and laggards appear to be validated by the numbers, right?

Not so fast. Morgan Stanley predicted mobile internet access would exceed PC-based access, on global basis, by 2014.

OK. That’s a forecast. So maybe it’s based on aggressive assumptions and therefore too “optimistic.”

Now take a look at survey data gleaned from 300,000 users of Opera’s Mini browser this summer. The respondents here are between 18 and 27 years old. Red bars are mobile, green is PC.

What these data reflect is that — today — in all but two countries represented, the majority of “gen Y” Opera Mini users access the internet more often through their phones than on a PC. And look at the margins — today.

This should be extremely sobering data for those who think that mobile is next year’s problem or challenge.

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Google: Mobile | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines


About The Author: is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog Screenwerk, about SoLoMo issues and connecting the dots between online and offline. He also posts at Internet2Go, which is focused on the mobile Internet. Follow him @gsterling.

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  • http://au.yahoo.com Aidan Beanland

    Confronting data indeed Greg.

    However, I’d want to know how representative Opera Mobile users are of that segment before applying the findings to a broader population. It wasn’t a random sample (respondents chose to answer so are likely to be positively biased to the browser) and the skewing of Opera towards Nokia handsets may have some bearing.

    However, this just highlights how little data we have on real-world mobile access. Let’s hope we get more insights like this to help us plan our futures accordingly.

    Aidan

  • sshah22

    Hi could you please tell what code has been used for your search button and the mobile theme function as I have created a mobile application and would like to add this.

    Thank you

  • John Smith

    I access internet very regularly, so could you all suggest me if these phones will serve my purpose smartphones

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