When the Cell Phone Only controversy took shape a few years ago when our first Tech Poll was released in ’05, Arbitron’s Ed Cohen told me that the nation’s landline statistics were tracked by the National Center for Health Statistics. I’ve never figured out why they’re the ones that research this data, but nonetheless, their stats are out for the second half of 2007 – and the numbers continue to show a definite trend.
We talk about the wave that powers the meteoric growth of Google, iPods, and YouTube, but the quiet statistic that has impact for all of us is the steady rise of Cell Phone Only households in the U.S. This new data tells us that about 1 in 6 homes in the U.S. only have a wireless phone.
And of course, the phenomenon is even more pronounced among 25-29 year-olds – more than one-third are now CPO.
Our new Tech Poll data shows even higher CPO numbers – clearly Rockers (specifically Alternative fans) are especially likely to be CPO, and therefore, not in the Arbitron diary process. Researchers have argued about the effect of their exclusion from studies – ratings and otherwise. But when large segments of the population are not a part of research surveys, there’s something wrong with the process.
Gallup came to this realization last year, and you have to wonder when radio researchers won’t have to reach that same conclusion moving forward. As the NHIS notes, "The potential for bias due to undercoverage remains a real and growing threat to surveys conducted only on landline telephones." Technology changes everything. And market research is no exception.
Just like with iPods, this is a problem that is only going to get worse over time.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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