It’s been predicted for some years that voice calls would steadily move towards mobile, while fixed lines would become the stuff of data. Now at least the first part of those predictions is becoming reality. According to Joel Rubinson of the US Advertising Research Foundation:

The most recent CDC NHIS survey found that 23% of all US households are cell phone only (that number doubles to 46% for households comprised of those aged 25-29) and another 15% have landlines but are cell phone primary. We are changing the way we connect. Landlines have become less important than cell phones and for many, talk is becoming a less important method of communication than text and social media updates.

The  Media Ratings Council has said that media research must have a solution for this, implying that landline-only research can no longer be equated with probability sampling.  Nielsen,  Arbitron, and Knowledge Networks have all switched to addressed-based sampling methods to restore probability sampling properties.

What are the implications, for other than researchers and telesales teams? One significant societal change is the evolution of the telephone into a one-person communication device rather than for the household, leading to a loss of status for those without mobile devices. And, since mobile phone numbers are typically not listed in directories, we’ll become harder to find as individuals and as families.

Tags: landlines, mobile phones