Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for December 12, 2018
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
December 12, 2018: Ninety-five percent (95%) of 13- to 17-year-olds have access to a smartphone. Nearly half (45%) of them are online almost constantly according to a Pew Research study. Another 44% are online several times a day.[1]
Some critics have complained that young people are spending more time with their screens than with their friends. However, those who are online almost constantly are just as likely to see their friends in person as those who are less active online. Among the most active group, 24% meet with their friends in person outside of school every day or almost every day. Among those less frequently online, that figure is 23%.
Those who use the internet more frequently are just as likely as other young teens to have at least one close friend. And they are just as likely to fit in easily with their peers. Still, Pew reports that “regardless of how frequently they use the internet or how many social media sites they use, teens today are far more likely to maintain frequent contact with their close friends online than in person.”
These results are consistent with data from an earlier Number of the Day addressing a fear that smartphones are causing children to withdraw from social activities. In fact, 42% of children ages 6 to 17 participate in sports, up slightly since 1998.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- December 11, 2018 – 5.3 murders per 100,000 Americans in 2017
- December 10, 2018 – 64 percent of rural Americans live east of the Mississippi
- December 7, 2018 – 77 years ago today, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor
- December 6, 2018 – 100,375 dollars is the median annual cost for a private room in a nursing home
- December 5, 2018 – 89% of U.S. homes have air conditioning
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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