Younger Americans abandon traditional phone lines

An article in the Baltimore Sun today discusses the fact that more and more Americans are relying on their mobile number as their sole phone line. Some of the findings reported in the article include:

• Between 25 and 30% of 18-27 year old Americans are cell-only users (up from only 6% in 2003!).
• 54% of people living with unrelated roomates rely solely on cell phones.
• Blacks, hispanics, and singles are more likely than the general public to be cell-only users.

As we at NDN and the New Politics Institute have been saying for some time, the disappearance of land-line phones will have a profound impact on political practices. Mobile phone users are, among other things, much more difficult and more expensive to reach for polling or fundraising purposes. Learning to reach mobile users is quickly becoming critical in 21st-century politics.