Smartphone use continues to grow in Canada: survey

The findings of a recent survey on smartphone use in Canada are sure to surprise very few of us north of the border.

You have probably noticed that smartphones are quite popular in Canada. These days you would be hard pressed to step out in public and not witness several people staring down at their mobile devices.

Approximately 33 per cent of Canadian adults used a smartphone in 2012, and as the recent Google report would suggest, that percentage is up in 2013. Way up!

In just seven short months, the percentage of Canadian adults who use a smartphone nearly doubled to 56 per cent, based on findings from the 1,000 Canadians surveyed.

And not only are we buying smartphones in bulk, we're growing increasingly more addicted to our mobile devices. Just about eight in 10 respondents said they don't leave the house without their smartphone, while two-thirds of them revealed they have used their mobile device every day in the past week.

Nearly 80 per cent of smartphone users said they use their device to connect with social media; 52 per cent of which sharing that they log on daily.

"Mobile has become a core part of how people live their lives today," said Eric Morris, Google Canada's head of mobile advertising in a story from The Canadian Press.

"The study shows people are using mobile to change all aspects of their life, whether it's their job, travel, shopping, the way they communicate with others, and specifically trying to understand the world around them."

Among the many intriguing statistics, the one that struck Morris pertained to the number of Canadians who watch video on their smatphones. Approximately 75 per cent said they stream video on their mobile device, and nearly one in five do it daily. In fact, if you can believe it, about 35 per cent revealed they had become so dependant on their smartphone that they would easily give up televion before having to part ways with their mobile device.

"People watch videos on the biggest screen they have available to them," Morris shared in the CP story.

"Sometimes that's your 50-inch TV at home, sometimes that's your tablet while you're on the couch or in bed, and sometimes that's the smartphone while you're on the couch or travelling or even in the office.

"I think one of the interesting things from this survey is there is a lot of mobile consumption that's being done in the home...on home WiFi."