Revealed… The UK Cities Most Hooked on Their Phones

Hooked on phones
Hooked on phones
How hooked are you on your phone? (Picture: Pexels)

Okay, we know we’re all a bit hooked on our phones. Mealtimes, bedtime, walks, the beach, work. They’re there all the time, and we kind of can’t live without them. But are some of us a bit more addicted than others?

Apparently so, according to a recent survey…

A poll commissioned by Compare the Market has revealed the cities where people are most hooked on their phones, with Cardiff topping the table, followed by Glasgow. 

The survey asked more than 2,000 UK respondents about their data usage and mobile phone use and analysed the data – including time spent on phones, digital detoxes (or lack thereof), size of data packages, number of apps used and how often they exceed their data allowances to work out who are the most hooked.

According to the poll, the cities topping the list for UK’s biggest phone & data users are:-

  1. Cardiff
  2. Glasgow
  3. Leeds
  4. Brighton
  5. Newcastle
  6. Birmingham
  7. Nottingham
  8. Norwich
  9. Manchester
  10. Edinburgh

The survey also reveals some pretty interesting data about our mobile phone use overall.

Perhaps predictably, the 25 to 34-year-olds are the big users when it comes to mobile data, with two in five admitting they’ve gone over their data allowance in the last year – more than any other age group. They’re also one of the worst groups for never consciously taking a break from their phones (34%).

Apps
There are some apps we just can’t do without. (Picture: Pexels)

However, we’re all a bit bad for that. The survey revealed that more than half of the UK are glued to their phones, with more than a third of 45-54-year olds admitting they never have a break. The 55+ bracket are most likely to take regular breaks from their phones, with only a quarter of them admitting they never take a break.

 

What apps are we using? 

According to the survey, the most popular app overall was WhatsApp, with 53% of people saying they couldn’t do without it. However, one in five people in the Gen Z population couldn’t do without entertainment apps including Amazon, Netflix and Spotify. 

The top 10 apps for UK data users were:

  1. WhatsApp
  2. Facebook
  3. PayPal
  4. Google
  5. YouTube
  6. Amazon
  7. Google Maps
  8. Gmail
  9. eBay
  10. FB Messenger

 

 

 

  • Ellen Manning

    Ellen started as a news reporter on her local paper straight out of university, working her way up to become the chief reporter at national news agency the Press Association. There she spent six years gallivanting around the country - and the world - reporting on everything from troops in Afghanistan to the Olympics. After a stint writing telecoms news, she's now freelance and indulges in general wordsmithery for a variety of publications. Her real passion is food, whether it's talking about, thinking about, or eating it. She's got her own blog Eat with Ellen (www.eatwithellen.com) and you'll most likely find her dragging her husband on a food-filled mission, either at home or further afield. Ellen's on board as Belle's resident food expert, giving you a monthly lowdown on upcoming events and openings, trends, issues, and what's hot and what's not in the world of food.

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