Filipinos love their mobile phones

There are just some things that Filipinos can’t let go of, wherever they may be.
And that’s the mobile phone
A new survey says one out of 4 Filipino youth can’t live without a mobile phone.
This is not surprising given The Philippines is already known  as the “texting capital of the world” for its excessive use of short message services (SMS) where about 67% of young Filipinos own mobile phones
“Filipinos are very sociable and are always in touch with friends,” said Carole Ann Sarthou, managing director of research agency Synovate Philippines which conducted the survey.
The survey showed that a typical Filipino youth has 102 contacts, way above the average of 77.
They have the third highest number of contacts on their mobile phones, closely following youth from Singapore (108) and Indonesia (131).
Titled 2010 Young Asians Survey, the study examined the habits of youth across Asia. Respondents ranged from 8 to 24 years old across 11 markets including the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and Vietnam.
A total sample of 12,302 youth was surveyed by face to face interviews and online.
Susanna Lam, Research Director of Synovate in Hong Kong said the mobile phone is a driving force that influence Asia’s youth.
“This year, we see that the mobile phone is simply inseparable from its owner. More youth across a number of Asia markets now own a mobile compared to 2008. With one in five (18%) young Asian planning to use their mobile even more often, these findings show the great potential of this medium.”
The study showed that 64 percent of young Asians surveyed own a mobile phone. Hong Kong is leading the pack with 87% of youth possessing this multifunctional extension of themselves, followed by 85% of Singaporean and Korean youth.
When looking at the results by age segments, 93% of youth between age 12 to 14 in Hong Kong and Singapore own a mobile phone, above the regional average of 47%.
Explains Lam: “Age 12 to 14 is when most youth enter secondary schools. They are gaining independence, widening their peer group, and likely needing to travel further from home to attend school so there is a need to still keep in touch with family and friends throughout the day, or their family wants a way to keep track of them. There are so many reasons for needing a mobile phone.
“Family members for this age group living in affluent markets like Hong Kong and Singapore can afford a second, third, or more mobiles for the family. Coupled with cheaper mobile phone plans available in these markets, there is every reason for youth to have a mobile. Interestingly, it also seems that, for youth in these markets, the giving of a mobile phone is a signature of growing up in the world.”
Among youth surveyed who own a mobile in Asia, the average number of contacts on their mobile is 77 people, which is more than the number of their instant messaging buddies (74 people) and email contacts (55 people).
Topping the chart with the most contacts on their mobile phones are Indonesians (131 contacts), Singaporeans (108 contacts) and Filipinos (102 contacts).
“Talking is still a very important aspect for this group of digitally savvy online youth. For example, second to in-person contact, youth in Hong Kong use mobile phone calls to stay in touch with those most important to them.
Listening to music, playing games and taking photos are just some of the activities that youth turn to their mobile phone to offer. Among Asian youth who own a mobile phone, about half perform the above activities on their mobile. One in five (21%) also uses this device to record video.
“The spontaneity and active lifestyles of youth means that mobiles are always helping them to live life to the fullest,” said Lam.
Among mobile phone owners, twenty percent of youth surveyed across Asia use their mobile to surf the Internet, 17% engage in instant messaging, and 15% visit and update their profiles on social networking sites.
Steve Garton, Executive Director of Media Research for Synovate said: “Once, when we considered the impact of the Internet and the hot topic of social media, we thought of access through the computer. Now we have friends and social networks in the palm of our hands.
“With increasing ownership of smart phones and availability of infrastructure for mobile Internet connectivity, we foresee more and more youth accessing all that the Internet offers through their mobile. It’s on the go and so convenient.”
“This shows the opportunities here and now for mobile marketing. Youth in Asia are looking to receive the latest information to wow their peers, so reaching them through mobile is the most immediate way to gain their attention,” said Garton.