Forty years after Motorola engineer Martin Cooper stood on a New York City street corner and made the first cell phone call, a new poll finds that Americans are twice as willing to go without sex for a week than a smartphone.
The Sachs Media Group poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research asked what respondents would be least willing to give up for a week, given a choice between sex, smartphone, alcohol or caffeine.
“Our poll shows that the tech revolution has changed our culture to the point that too many Americans seem to derive more pleasure and satisfaction from their smart phones and text lives than from their relationships and sex lives,” said Ron Sachs, President and CEO of Sachs Media Group. “It’s not necessarily a good sign that smart phones rival alcohol and sex as a certain new American addiction.”
The survey highlights show:
- More than twice as many respondents were willing to give up sex instead of their smart phone or caffeine;
- Men as a group are least likely to give up alcohol, but women by far preferred their smart phones and caffeine;
- Men ages 18-34 are least willing to give up sex – five times less likely than women of the same age group, who favored their smart phones;
- The older people get, the less likely they are to give up caffeine compared to the other choices;
- The demographic most committed to their smart phones are ages 35 to 49; and
- Democrats are least likely to part with alcohol, while Republicans prefer their smart phones. People who identify themselves as Independents have equal allegiance to caffeine and their smart phones.
“Increased interest in caffeine can be directly linked to decreased interest in sex,” said Mason-Dixon Managing Director Brad Coker. “However, there is no such link between alcohol and sex. That suggests that liquor is a better aphrodisiac than coffee.”
During a recent NBC News interview, cell phone pioneer Cooper recently gave advice to Americans struggling with smart phone “addiction.”
“We always put an on/off button on the phone,” Cooper said. “The phone is supposed to be your slave. You’re not supposed to be the slave of your phone.”
