NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- When we hold smartphones in our hands, we are in effect grasping miniscule computers.  Their capabilities far outpace those of desktop units of yore, and their perpetual state of connectivity mean that smartphone users are almost never disconnected from the Internet.  But even if they are at least somewhat comparable to full-fledged computers, are they used comparably?  The Harris Poll tested smartphone owners' regular use of computers and smartphones for a series of tasks either product can complete, in order to find out.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,383 adults (991 of whom own and use a smartphone) surveyed online between November 14 and 19, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

Many top uses for smartphones and computers are device-sensitive
When smartphone owners are asked which of a set of actions (common to both devices) they regularly perform on a smartphone and/or on a computer, there are both divergences and similarities in how the two devices are used.  For example, the immediate communication of text or instant messages is the most common smartphone use (87%) and the least common use for a computer (20%).  In contrast, emails are the top use for computers (90% for all email uses combined).  Email is still a highly utilized feature on smartphones (72% combined), though it is worth noting that reading emails (67% personal, 38% work) outpaces actually writing emails (56% personal, 32% work) on smartphones.

Smartphone owners also appear to favor computers for researching goods and services (81% / 3^rd most reported activity vs. 45% / 8^th for smartphone use) and purchasing products or services such as clothing and holiday gifts (78% / 4^th vs. 23% / 12^th).

In contrast, mapping/navigation is among the top uses for smartphones (73% / 2^nd), but only a mid-tier use for computers (56% / 7^th).

Social Media use is similar on both devices
Despite the many differences between smartphone and computer use, combined social media interactions make for the 5^th most frequent use for both a smartphone (64%) and a computer (69%).  In both cases, reading posts (56% smartphone, 62% computer) is the top activity, followed by sharing (44% smartphone, 51% computer) and writing (43% smartphone, 50% computer).  A similar percentage use their smartphones to "check in" (43%), while far fewer do so on computers (28%).

Children in household increase likelihood of nearly all activities on smartphones
Smartphone owners with children in their household are significantly more likely than those without to indicate using smartphones for most of the activities tested, including mapping/navigation uses (79% among those w/ children in hh, 68% without), downloading free applications, music or videos (72%, 62%), combined social media use (72%, 59%), playing games (62%, 52%), researching goods or services (54%, 39%) and many others.

So what?
Understanding what smartphones are used for is an integral part of designing a successful device.  For example, the prevalence of text messaging calls for a well designed keyboard interface.  Similarly, smartphone users' reliance on their devices for mapping and navigation services calls for either a well designed mapping interface or the ability to download one.

Furthermore, the prevalence of data-munching activities like texting, navigation, downloads, emailing speak directly to smartphone owners' data plan needs, and as reliance on these devices continues to grow both data plans and entire data networks may be affected in any number of ways.

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between November 14 and 19, 2012 among 2,383 adults (aged 18 and over), of whom 991 own and use a smartphone. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

The Harris Poll^® #1, January 3, 2013
By: Larry Shannon-Missal, Harris Poll Research Manager

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Harris possesses expertise in a wide range of industries including health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing our client's research investment. Serving clients in more than 196 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us—and our clients—stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.