25 June 2007
Young people would rather be celibate than live without their mobile phones for a month, a new survey has found.
According to research carried out by the London School of Economics (LSE) in conjunction with mobile retailer The Carphone Warehouse, almost a third of 16 to 24-year-olds said they would rather relinquish sex, chocolate, alcohol and hot drinks than part with their beloved mobile.
What is more, one in three people said they would not sacrifice their handset for 1 million pounds or more, while an astonishing 85% believed that having a mobile phone was essential to their quality of life.
The results came as part of a study by LSE researchers who aimed to observe how attached people are to their mobile phones.
Monitoring participants using video diaries, researchers found many people felt lost, isolated and frustrated without their mobile, while others were liberated by knowing it would not start to ring.
Tracey Williams from Cardiff who participated in the study said: "It has shown me how much I actually rely on my phone, to the point of not going out of the house when I didn't have it."
Tristia Clarke, Group Marketing Director for The Carphone Warehouse Group plc said the results highlighted "the complex relationships that people have with their mobile phones, feelings of choice versus control".
She said it also gave a "valuable insight" into "how much people rely on the different functions of a phone in their everyday life".
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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