Mobile Industry Group AUSTRALIAN MOBILE PHONE LIFESTYLE INDEX 8th Edition Special Topic: Impact of Tablets on Mobile Phone Use SEPTEMBER 2012 Author: Dr Marisa Maio Mackay Director Complete the Picture Consulting Project Managers: Dr Marisa Maio Mackay Director Complete the Picture Consulting Oliver Weidlich Co-Chair of the AIMIA Mobile Industry Group Director of Design and Innovation Mobile Experience
Disclaimer While all care and diligence has been used in producing this report, AIMIA gives no warranty it is error free and will not be liable for any loss or damage suffered as a result of the use, directly or indirectly, of information in this report. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
AIMIA AMPLI Survey Official Research Partner: Official Sponsors: Supporters: AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
Acknowledgements The AMPLI project team would like to extend a warm thank you to the following parties for helping in the promotion of the Survey. Promoting and Linking to the Survey 3 (VHA) BBC Fairfax Digital My 24/7 News Digital Media ninemsn Optus Telstra BigPond Virgin Mobile Vodafone (VHA) Spectrum Communications Hostworks Community Engine AAPT Banner Ad Creative MIA The Project Team would also like to thank those individuals who gave their time to review the report. AIMIA Staff John Butterworth CEO AIMIA Corinne Franks - Commercial Manager Nina King - Sponsorship & Patron Manager Kelly Slessor - Director BanterMob and Co-Chair of the AIMIA Mobile Industry Group AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
Executive Summary This report presents the results of the 8th Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index, which has been carried out with the sponsorship and support of Industry. The overall objective of the annual study is to gain insights into the current and changing profile, behaviour and preferences of Australian mobile phone users over time. It remains the only known national, independent tracking study that makes its comprehensive results freely available to all interested parties. The core questions have remained predominately the same across the 8 years that the project has been carried out. Commencing with the second survey an annual special topic was also included to enable exploration of topical issues or emerging interests. For this edition, the special topic questions related to the impact of tablets on mobile phone use. What the Survey Covered The specific research themes addressed in the study were as follows: The socio-demographic and mobile phone profile of Australian mobile phone owners. How Australian mobile phone owners are using their mobile phones, and how often. How Australian mobile phone owners plan to use their phones in the near future. The use of websites, compared to the use of applications on the mobile phone. The current purchasing behaviour of Australian mobile phone users in terms of specific services and content. The current level of engagement with SMS and MMS messages received from businesses. The level and type of engagement with a range of different types of advertising and marketing messages received on the mobile phone. Current awareness and use of mobile phone applications among Australian mobile phone owners. This year s special topic, the effect of tablet ownership on mobile phone use, included a review of: Tablet ownership Tablet uses and frequency of use The use of applications compared to the use of websites The change in mobile phone use as a consequence of tablet ownership. Some key and topical findings from the survey will be presented in the remaining sections of the executive summary. Additional detail about the findings, together with the remaining analysis is reported in the body of the report. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
Survey Design and Distribution To complete the survey the individual had to own a mobile phone and live in Australia. The survey consisted of primarily close ended and multiple choice questions and took respondents approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. The survey was in the field for 15 days from 15 July to the 31 July 2012. The survey was distributed via: Banner ads placed on a range of industry websites Emails sent to previous AMPLI respondents who had agreed to participate in future surveys Other social media. Survey Response Rate A total of 3,136 respondents completed the 2012 survey. This was consistent with the response rate for the past few years. As in past years, a large number of responses were received from people whose mobile phone carrier was Virgin. Consequently, the results were weighted to better reflect carrier market share. The sample size used for the analysis was therefore reduced to 1,784 responses. This is still a strong response rate. About the Survey Respondents The survey collected data to enable the creation of a socio-demographic profile of the survey respondents. In general, the socio-demographic profile of survey respondents is broadly in line with the profile of adult Australians released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Given this finding and the sample size, the results of the 2012 Survey sample can be generalised to Australian mobile phone owners between 18 and 75 years of age. The results also show that the socio-demographic profile of the respondents across all the surveys is relatively consistent, which allows for meaningful comparisons across the years. The responses were then categorised into groupings by tagging the data with geotribe 1 groupings. The geodemographic segmentation applies to Australians 18 and over, and is based on a sophisticated spatial modelling process that combines Australian Bureau of Statistic Census demographic data with lifecycle stage and socioeconomic status data from the Household Expenditure Survey. In line with the overall generalisability of the survey results to the Australian adult population, the survey profile by the 15 geotribes is also remarkably close to the Australian profile. It further confirms that the behaviours and views of Australians from a wide range of different stages of life and social status were collected. Such profiling analysis provides companies, other organisations and the industry with a new and important understanding of how different segments of Australians are using mobile phones and what this may mean for their mobile strategy. 1 A profiling tool developed by rda research AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
About the Mobile Phones, Payment Plans and Carriers Data was collected to enable the creation of a profile of mobile phone ownership. Smartphone Ownership For the last two years respondents have been asked if their mobile phone was a smartphone. Not surprisingly there has been an increase in the percentage of respondents that owned a smartphone. Of all the respondents 76% owned a smartphone, compared to 67% last year. Respondents that did not own a smartphone were asked if they planned to purchase a smartphone in the next 12 months. Although the planned purchase may not correlate with actual purchase it does indicate intent, interest and overall mindset of the respondent. Based on the results, 8 of respondents would own a smartphone by end of 2012 and 84% would own a smartphone by mid 2013, highlighting that smartphone uptake is still growing. Satisfaction With Carrier Services Respondents were asked to indicate if they were satisfied with a range of different mobile phone service related issues. Satisfaction with services by carrier clearly shows that variation across the carriers was substantial for many of the services. For example: Satisfaction with Virgin was considerably higher for almost all services, except network coverage. Satisfaction with Telstra s network coverage was an obvious standout for the carrier, compared to the other providers. Vodafone experienced a substantially lower level of overall satisfaction compared to the other carriers. Data Inclusion in Payment Options Respondents were asked if an allowance for mobile data is included in their monthly bill or pre-paid amount. The percentage of respondents that stated they had a data allowance included in their payment options has been substantially growing over the last four years. Three quarters of the respondents now have data included in their payment options. The amount of data that is included in payment options has also been steadily increasing over the last four years. Of particular note is the increase in the percentage of respondents with more than 1GB of data (from 11% to 39% over the four years). About How the Mobile Phone Is Used Data was collected to provide insight into how mobile phone owners are using their mobile phones. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
Overall Use of the Mobile Phone by Respondents Respondents were asked how often they used their mobile phone for a range of listed purposes. There has been growth in the use of the mobile phone for all purposes other than voice calls and text messaging. The growth rates for the period 2010 to 2012 were as follows: Send and receive emails 25% To get information 21% For entertainment 15% To visit websites, and/or search or browse the internet For banking, including transfers and bill payments 19% To buy things online 16%. Top 5 Ways Respondents Use Their Mobile Phones For the first time respondents were also asked to rank the top 5 ways they use their mobile phone from a selected list. Excluding voice and SMS, sending and receiving emails is the next most highly ranked use of the mobile phone followed by visiting websites, and/or browsing or searching the Internet and to get information. Role of the Mobile Phone in the Purchase Decision During the last year there has been media focus and industry discussion about how Australians are using their mobile phones to make purchase decisions. In response to this interest, this year s survey included a question to explore the nature of this engagement. Approximately 4 of respondents use their mobile phone to compare prices online and to look at product or service reviews before making a purchase decision. Thus, it is evident that a large number of consumers are using their mobile phones to aid their purchase decisions. Use of Websites Versus Applications Another topical issue in the media and industry has been around the use and popularity of websites versus applications, and the resulting implications for businesses. In this year s survey we explored whether respondents said they used more websites or applications on their mobile phones. Overall 77% of all respondents access websites and/or applications on their mobile phone. As a percentage of these respondents, 86% use a combination of both websites and applications. Expected Use of the Mobile Phone in the Next 12 Months Respondents were also asked this year their intent to use their mobile phones in the next 12 months relative to their current use. While actual and intended use may not directly correlate it provides an indication of the interests and intent of respondents. The results suggest the following: Many respondents plan to increase their current uses of the mobile phone. º Around 25% of the respondents currently using their mobile phone for voice call, texting, emailing, getting information, and visiting websites/browsing/searching intend to increase their use of the phone for these purposes in the next 12 months. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
º Around of the respondents currently using their mobile phone for entertainment, banking and buying things online intend to increase their use of the phone for these purposes in the next 12 months. Only a very small percentage of respondents (1-3%) plan to decrease their use of the mobile phone for any given purpose. About the Specific Services Accessed Respondents were again asked this year about the specific entertainment, information and communications services they access on their mobile phones. Some key findings were as follows. Only small percentages of respondents were high-level 2 users of the listed entertainment services and content. Games have clearly the highest proportion of high-level users (18%) followed by Mobile TV (). Weather and news were the most popular information services accessed in terms of frequency of use. Around one third of respondents were high-level users of weather (38%) and news (33%) information on their mobile phones, and approximately were medium-level users 3. Maps/location and traffic information were equally popular, but used less frequently. Between and 4 of respondents were also high or medium-level users of most of the other information services. Email and social networking sites are clearly the most frequently used communication services. Just under half of the respondents were high-level users of email. Social networking sites and applications on the mobile phone were found to be almost as popular with just over 4 of users being high-level users. Approximately 6 of respondents reported that they used some form of social networking (SN) sites or applications on their mobile phones. Facebook was found to be the most popular SN site or application (59%), with Twitter being a distant second (26%). About the Applications Accessed Of all the respondents, 69% stated they had downloaded and installed an application to their mobile phone. This represents a substantial increase from 55% in 2011 and 41% in 2010. For those respondents that had downloaded applications, additional data was collected. Average Number of Applications Used Per Week For the first time this year respondents were asked to report the average number of applications used per week. The results found that approximately half of the respondents were using between 2 and 5 applications on average per week, while just over a third of respondents were using more than 6 applications. These findings suggest that those that are downloading and installing applications are engaging quite frequently with a range of applications. 2 High-level users were daily users of the services. 3 Medium level users were weekly or monthly users of the service. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
For What Purpose the Respondents Use the Applications Respondents were asked for what purpose they use their applications in terms of work or personal use. Over the last few years there has been a shift away from the use of applications solely for personal use towards the use of applications for a mix of both personal and work purposes. Types of Applications Used by Respondents Respondents were asked what type of applications they have used on their mobile phones in the last 6 months. The most popular types of applications used by respondents were Maps and navigation (74%), Games (74%), News and weather (73%) and social networking (71%). Paid Applications Downloaded and Installed on the Mobile Phones Of those respondents who had downloaded and installed applications to their mobile phones, 59% stated they had paid to do so. This is consistent with last year s results (6), but represents an increase from 2010 (5). About Advertising and Marketing The special topic last year was advertising and marketing on the mobile phone. A few of the questions were included in this year s survey to provide some ability to track this evolving opportunity in the mobile phone space. The key results follow. Receipt of Opted in SMS or MMS Messages From Businesses Compared to last year there has been an increase in the overall proportion of respondents who had opted in to receive SMS or MMS messages from businesses; from 47% last year to 57% this year. The greatest increase was in the 1-5 businesses category, which saw an increase from 34% to 4 of respondents. This suggests that mobile phone respondents are increasingly becoming more proactive and responsive in the use of the mobile phone to engage with businesses. The proportion of respondents that opted in to receive messages increased for almost all business types, the only exception being travel, which remained the same as last year. The profile of the type of businesses remained similar to that found in the 2011 survey, with banking or credit unions having the highest proportion of respondents opting in for advertisments and messages followed by other retail stores, and heath and beauty providers. Respondents Awareness and Engagement With Different Types of Advertising and Messages Respondents were asked about their awareness and engagement with a range of different types of advertising they may have been exposed to while using their mobile phones. Around one quarter of the respondents had seen and engaged with the listed range of advertising and messages AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
received on their mobile phones. Approximately another had seen, but not engaged, with most of the types of advertisements and messages. The overall average level of engagement for Survey 2012 was 54%. This means that if the respondents saw an advertisement, there was just over 5 chance that they would engage. Conversely there is just less than 5 (i.e., 46%) chance that they would not engage. This is consistent with the average level of engagement from the 2011 Survey results, which was 54%. Special Topic: About the Impact of Tablets on Mobile Phone Use Tablet Ownership of Respondents Almost 4 of respondents reported that they owned a tablet, which represented a substantial increase from last year. High growth in the last 12 months was expected given the rate of uptake in Australia, although the figure of 38% is higher than other publicly reported industry figures. Tablet Capability Those respondents who owned a tablet were asked to identify the capability of their tablet. Approximately 5 of the respondents had WiFi only enabled tablets. The large proportion of WiFi enabled only tablets highlights that while these devices are highly portable their use is restricted to particular environments (e.g., home, cafés, etc.). Tablet Use Compared to Mobile Phone Use Data was collected to determine the respondents perceived impact of their tablet on their mobile phone uses. Approximately one third of respondents who owned a tablet reported that their use of the mobile phone for getting information, for entertainment and for visiting websites and/or browsing or searching the Internet had decreased as a consequence of buying a tablet. However, other respondents (approximately 12-13%) reported an increase in the use of their mobile phone for the same purposes since acquiring their tablets. When the responses to the future use of the mobile phone was considered for only respondents with tablets, it was found that for all uses with the exception of reading and editing documents, the net increase in expected use (i.e., percentage of respondents reporting an increase in use less those reporting a decrease in use) was approximately. Thus, the possibility of tablet ownership increasing the use of mobile phones exists. Given the emerging use of tablets, the relationship between mobile phones and tablets is still evolving. However, the results suggest that the two devices are currently complementary. We trust that this research will enable industry stakeholders to develop a better understanding of Australian mobile phone users as part of their ongoing quest to meet changing consumer needs. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Research Themes and Design 2 Survey Response Rate 3 Interpreting the Results 3 Presentation of the Results 3 Section 1: About The Survey Respondents 4 Gender of Respondents 7 Age of Respondents 8 Location of Respondents 9 Housing Status of Respondents 11 Living Status of Respondents 12 Employment of Respondents 13 Income of Respondents 14 Section 2: About The Mobile Phones, Payment Plans and Carriers 16 Smartphone Ownership of Respondents 16 Handset Brand of Respondents 18 Mobile Phone Carrier of Respondents 19 Satisfaction With Carrier Services 20 Payment of Mobile Phone Bills 22 Monthly Phone Spend by Respondents 23 Data Inclusion in Payment Options 24 Section 3: About How The Mobile Phone Is Used 26 Overall Use of the Mobile Phone 26 Role of the Mobile Phone in the Purchase Decision 32 Use of Websites Versus Applications 33 Expected Use of the Mobile Phone in the Next 12 Months 36 Mobile Phone Use by geotribe 37 AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
Entertainment Services and Content Accessed 47 Section 5: About The Applications Accessed 55 Paid Applications Downloaded and Installed on the Mobile Phones 61 Type of Applications Respondents Paid For 61 Typical and Maximum Cost Paid For An Application 64 Section 6: About Advertising and Marketing 65 Respondents Awareness and Engagement With Different Types of Advertising and Messages 67 Special Topic: About The Impact of Tablets on Mobile Phone Use Tablet Ownership of Respondents 70 Tablet Brands and Capability 73 Purpose and Length of Tablet Ownership 74 Tablet Use Compared to Mobile Phone Use 78 For More Information 82 AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. October 2012
INTRODUCTION This report presents the results of the 8th Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index (AMPLI) survey, which has been carried out with the sponsorship and support of Industry. The overall objective of the study is to gain insights into the current and changing profile, behaviour and preferences of Australian mobile phone users over time. It remains the only known national independent tracking study that makes its comprehensive results freely available to all interested parties. The first study was initiated by the AIMIA Mobile Industry Group in 2005 and was motivated by the lack of available independent information about Australian mobile phone users. The second survey was carried out in May 2006, the third in March 2007, the fourth in August 2007, the fifth in June 2009, the sixth survey in June/July 2010 and the seventh survey in July 2011. The 2012 survey was conducted during July. We expect to continue to carry out the study annually in order to investigate longitudinal trends relating to mobile phone use in Australia, as well as studying emerging topics of importance. The survey consists of a series of core questions that have remained predominately unchanged since the inception of the project. Since Survey 2, questions relating to an annual special topic have also been included in the surveys. The special topics were different for each subsequent survey. The project team together with the AIMIA Mobile Industry Group select the special topic areas each year and endeavour to capture topics that will have wide appeal and interest to all users of the report. A list of the special topics for past surveys follows. Survey 2 2006 - The Impact of 3G Survey 3 2007 - Advertising on the Mobile Phone Survey 4 2008 - Communities and User Generated Content Survey 5 2009 - Mobile Commerce Survey 6 2010 - Mobile Phone Applications Survey 7 2011 - Mobile Phone Advertising and Marketing For the 2012 survey the special topic questions related to the impact of tablets on mobile phone use. The report is organised into the following key sections: 1. Research Themes and Design 2. Survey Response Rate 3. Interpreting the Results 4. Presentation of the Results 5. The Results 6. For More Information This research has been designed to enable industry stakeholders to develop a better understanding of Australian mobile phone users as part of their ongoing quest to meet changing consumer needs. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 1
RESEARCH THEMES AND DESIGN Research Themes In the overall context of developing an understanding of Australian mobile phone users in terms of their profile, current behaviour and preferences, the specific research themes addressed in the study are as follows: The socio-demographic and mobile phone profile of Australian mobile phone owners. How Australian mobile phone owners are using their mobile phones, and how often. How Australian mobile phone owners plan to use their phones in the near future. The use of websites, compared to the use of applications on the mobile phone. The current purchasing behaviour of Australian mobile phone users in terms of specific services and content. The current level of engagement with SMS and MMS messages received from businesses. The level and type of engagement with a range of different types of advertising and marketing messages received on the mobile phone. Current awareness and use of mobile phone applications among Australian mobile phone owners. Special Topic for 2012 The special topic for the 2012 AMPLI is the impact of tablet ownership on mobile phone use. Specific areas that were explored included: Tablet ownership Tablet uses and frequency of use The use of applications compared to the use of websites The impact, if any, of tablet ownership on mobile phone use. It should also be noted that in line with the overall objective of the Survey, the AMPLI: Focuses on all adult Australians that own a mobile phone, not only smartphone users Includes some user-segmentation (profiling) to help companies determine the mobile phone behaviours of their customers. Survey Design and Distribution A pilot of the 2012 survey was carried out in early July to ensure survey functionality, optimal usability and data integrity. The survey was then activated and in the field for 15 days from 15 July to the 31 July 2012. To be eligible to complete the survey, survey respondents had to own a mobile phone and live in Australia. The survey consisted of primarily close ended and multiple choice questions and took respondents approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. An incentive was offered to encourage potential respondents to participate in the study and also complete the survey. Those respondents that completed the survey were eligible to enter a draw to win one of two 8GB Apple Touch ipods (valued at $220) or one of two $220 Myer gift vouchers. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 2
The survey was distributed by the following mechanisms: Banner ads that were placed on a range of industry websites including carrier and media sites (for a full list refer to acknowledgements) Emails that were sent to previous AMPLI respondents who had opted in to receive research requests Promotion of the survey by social media (e.g., Twitter). SURVEY RESPONSE RATE A total of 3,136 respondents completed the 2012 survey. This was consistent with the response rate for the past few years. A large number of responses were received from people whose mobile phone carrier was Virgin. This overrepresentation has occurred in past years (e.g., 2009 to 2011) and in 2011 the survey data was weighted to better reflect the market share in order to facilitate easier interpretation of the results for all mobile stakeholders. As a consequence of the over-representation of respondents whose mobile phone carrier was Virgin in the 2012 survey results, it was determined that weighting the results to better reflect market share was once again appropriate. Additionally, a decision was made to incorporate the results from those respondents who had completed the majority of the survey, but did not finish the survey. What this means The sample size used for the 2012 analysis was reduced to 1,784. However, it should be noted that this is still a strong response rate. The confidence interval for this sample is still small (2.3). INTERPRETING THE RESULTS As you move through the report please remember the following: Tables and figures are reported as percentages unless otherwise stated. Due to rounding, some totals may range from 99% to 101%. Rounding errors may also affect the total percent of collapsed categories. For example combining the frequency categories at least 5 times a day and at least once a day may not exactly equate to the sum of the rounded percentages for these categories. The n s for questions may vary as there were some respondents that did not complete all sections (e.g., demographic questions). However, the confidence intervals are only marginally affected and we can therefore be confident that the results reflect the profile and behaviours of Australian mobile phone users. Wherever possible and where of value (as considered by the author) comparisons have been made across the surveys. Please remember that in order to capture the changing mobile phone market, there has been variation in the way that some of the information has been collected across the surveys. Consequently, not all questions are comparable across all 8 surveys. PRESENTATION OF THE RESULTS The results of the research are presented in six key sections: Section 1: About The Survey Respondents Section 2: About The Mobile Phones, Payment Plans & Carriers Section 3: About How The Mobile Phone Is Used Section 4: About The Specific Services Accessed Section 5: About The Applications Accessed Section 6: About Advertising And Marketing Special Topic: About The Impact of Tablets on Mobile Phone Use AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 3
SECTION 1: ABOUT THE SURVEY RESPONDENTS This section of the report provides a socio-demographic profile of the survey respondents, which includes the following: Gender Age Location Housing status Living status Employment status Income Profile by geotribe The socio-demographic profile of survey respondents is broadly in line with the profile of adult Australians released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and shows that the results of the 2012 Survey sample can be generalised to Australian mobile phone owners between 18 and 75 years of age. The results of this section also show that the socio-demographic profile of the respondents across all the surveys is relatively consistent, which allows for meaningful comparisons across the years. However, to aid readability of this section: Comparison between the survey results and the ABS data is included for only some of the demographic variables Comparison across all eight surveys is included for only some of the demographic variables. More about geotribes A profile of respondents by geotribe groupings is also presented in this section of the report. geotribes are a profiling tool developed by rda research, a leading Australian supplier of geo-demographic solutions for companies. The geo-demographic segmentation applies to Australians 18 and over, and is based on a sophisticated spatial modelling process that combines Australian Bureau of Statistic Census demographic data with lifecycle stage and socioeconomic status data from the Household Expenditure Survey. The 15 geo-tag profiles were introduced to the AMPLI for the first time last year. They have been applied to all of the survey respondents aged 18+ years that have at the least, supplied age, gender and postcode details 4. Descriptions of the 15 geotribes are provided on the following page. Further analysis of mobile phone behavior by these geotribes is also presented for some of the mobile phone use results. Such profiling analysis provides companies and the industry with a new and important understanding of how different segments of Australians are using mobile phones and what this may mean for their mobile strategy. 4 Most of the alignment to the tribes also drew on additional information supplied by the respondents like suburb and housing type. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 4
geotribe descriptors geotribe geotribe AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 5
geotribe AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 6
Gender of Respondents Figure 1 shows a comparison of the gender breakdown of respondents across the Surveys. Figure 1: Gender Breakdown Across the Surveys Gender of Respondents Across the Surveys 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 33% 67% 29% 71% 39% 61% 31% 69% 45% 55% 44% 56% 48% 5 47% 53% SURVEY 2005 SURVEY 2006 SURVEY 2007 SURVEY 2008 SURVEY 2009 SURVEY 2010 SURVEY 2011 SURVEY 2012 Females Males Comments The gender ratio for the 2012 Survey was consistent with the ABS gender profile of Australians. In the early surveys, there was a slight tendency towards a greater number of females than males, but the mix of males and females has moved more closely to reflect the actual population in recent years. 3 AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 7
Age of Respondents Figure 2 shows a comparison of the age distribution of 2012 respondents compared to the population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Figure 3 shows the age profile of respondents across all of the surveys. 5 Age of Respondents 15% 1 13% P 5% 6% 11% 11% 11% 11% 11% 9% 9% 8% 8% 5% 6% 5% 3% 20-24 YRS 25-29 YRS 30-24 YRS 35-39 YRS 40-44 YRS 45-49 YRS 50-54 YRS 55-59 YRS 60-24 YRS 65-69 YRS 70-74 YRS Survey Australian Population (ABS Census) 4 Figure 3: Age of Respondents Across the Surveys Age of Respondents Across the Surveys 20 15 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS 10 5 0 12 to 16 17 to 18 19 to 21 22 to 25 26 to 30 31 to 35 36 to 40 41 to 45 46 to 50 51 to 55 56 to 60 61 to 65 >65 AGE CATEGORIES 2005 Survey 2006 Survey 2007 Survey 2008 Survey 2009 Survey 2010 Survey 2011 Survey 2012 Survey 5 Except for Survey 1, as age was collected differently. 5 AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 8
Comments There has been a gradual shift in the distribution of the age profile over the life of the AMPLI survey. As shown in Figure 3, there was a bias towards younger respondents in the first survey (2005). Over time, this bias has slowly disappeared as older Australians take up using the mobile phone. The bias towards the younger population in the early surveys may also be a reflection of the survey topic, which attracts the interest of younger mobile phone users and to a lesser extent, may reflect the channels and medium for data collection. The age profile of the respondents in the last few surveys more closely matches that of the Australian population. While there is some variation in the age profile across the surveys, it is nevertheless still possible to compare responses in relation to different age groups across the surveys 6. Location of Respondents Figure 4 shows the residing state of the respondents compared to the population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Figure 5 presents the location profile of respondents across all of the surveys. 7 Location of Respondents 4 34% 3 18% 15% 7% 19% 25% 8% 3% AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY NEW SOUTH WALES 1% 1% NORTHERN TERRITORY QUEENSLAND SOUTH AUSTRALIA TASMANIA VICTORIA WESTERN AUSTRALIA Survey Australian Population (ABS Census) 6 6 The only exception with respect to comparing survey responses based upon age groups relates to the first survey where no responses were collected from people aged greater than 65 years. 7 The residing state of respondents was not collected for Survey 1 (2005). AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 9
Location of Respondents Across the Surveys Figure 5: Residing State of Respondents Across the Surveys 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3% 19% 9% 6% 33% 19% 7% 8% 33% 18% 8% 35% 1% 18% 34% 19% 8% 9% 35% 17% 8% 1 35% 3% 18% 8% 15% 34% 28% 28% 24% 25% 27% 24% 19% SURVEY 2006 SURVEY 2007 SURVEY 2008 SURVEY 2009 SURVEY 2010 SURVEY 2011 SURVEY 2012 VIC NSW SA WA QLD ACT TAS NT 7 Comments All Australian States and Territories were represented in all surveys with a very similar breakdown across the samples. There was a slight over-representation of SA respondents and under representation from Victoria relative to the ABS profile, especially in the 2012 Survey. However, overall the profiles were broadly consistent with the ABS with around 55-6 of Survey participants living in New South Wales and Victoria. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 10
Housing Status of Respondents In the last two surveys (2011 and 2012) the housing status of respondents has been recorded. This has allowed better matching of the respondents to the socio-demographic and lifestyle geotribes, which were introduced in the 2011 report. Figure 6 shows the housing status of Survey 2011 and Survey 2012 respondents. Housing of Respondents Across the Surveys 8 7 69% 7 6 P 5 4 21% 18% 9% 8% 1% 1% SEPARATE HOUSE FLAT, UNIT OR APARTMENT SEMI-DETACHED ROW OR TERRACE HOUSE, OR TOWN HOUSE OTHER Survey 2011 Survey 2012 9 Comments The housing profile of the respondents was almost the same across both surveys (the differences are within the margins of error for the survey). All housing options were represented, with an overwhelming majority living in separate housing. This is consistent with the ABS housing profile of adult Australians. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 11
Living Status of Respondents The living status of respondents across the surveys is shown in Figure 7. Living Arrangement of Respondents Across the Surveys 10 9 8 17% 18% 17% 17% 8% 14% 7% 14% 5% 14% 5% 16% 7 6 5 4 2 28% 33% 37% 27% 4 26% 37% 28% 4 23% 44% 2 46% 24% 5 2 18% 17% 19% 13% 13% 11% 7% SURVEY 2005 SURVEY 2006 SURVEY 2007 SURVEY 2008 SURVEY 2009 SURVEY 2010 SURVEY 2011 SURVEY 2012 Have a partner but don't live together (only collected for survey 5 onwards) Living as a Couple but not Married Married Single Living Independently Single Living with Parents 11 Comments Single and married/couples were represented across all surveys. However, consistent with the broader age distribution captured in the 2006 Survey 2 onwards, Surveys 2006 to 2012 captured a higher proportion of married respondents, compared to Survey 1. This is particularly evident since the 2009 Survey. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 12
Employment of Respondents The employment status of respondents is shown in Figure 8. This data was also collected for the first time in 2009 (Survey 5) to provide additional insights about the survey respondents. Figure 8: Employment Status of Respondents Across the Surveys Employment Status of Respondents Across the Surveys 6 5 49% 49% 47% 46% 4 14% 13% 11% 7% STUDENT 11% 9% 6% 5% RETIRED 8% 7% 7% 5% FULL TIME DOMESTIC DUTIES 4% 3% 3% 3% UNEMPLOYED 15% 15% 14% 13% PART TIME EMPLOYEE FULL TIME EMPLOYEE 9% 9% 8% 8% SELF-EMPLOYED 1% 1% 1% 1% VOLUNTEER Survey 2009 Survey 2010 Survey 2011 Survey 2012 Comments 1 The employment profile of respondents across the surveys is consistent and suggests that the surveys captured the use and views of respondents from a cross section of different employment status. However, there is a slight shift in the last few surveys in terms of the proportion of students (decreasing) and retirees (increasing). This better reflects the broader population and the improved generalisability of the later surveys results across the older age brackets. This is of course in line with the increasing adoption of mobile phones by older Australians in recent years. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 13
Income of Respondents Figure 9 shows the breakdown of annual household income of respondents of the last 4 surveys. Prior to Survey 5, individual income as opposed to household income was collected. The change to household income in 2009 (Survey 5) allowed alignment with data collected through the Australian Bureau of Statistics and is considered a more accurate indicator of social economic status, which may be of interest to some readers. 8 Figure 9: Annual Household Income of Respondents Across the Last 4 Surveys Housing Income of Respondents Across the Surveys 5 4 11% 9% 2 18% 17% 15% 35% 3 28% 27% 16% 16% 15% 14% 6% 6% 6% 7% 3% 4% 4% 5% 6% 14% UNDER 25K $25K TO $50K $51K TO $100K $101K TO $150K $151K TO $200K MORE THAN 200K DON T KNOW/ NOT WILLING TO SAY Survey 2009 Survey 2010 Survey 2011 Survey 2012 Comments The overall income profiles for the last four surveys are similar. The steady increase in the proportion of respondents reporting, don t know may suggest that people are becoming more reluctant to share personal details and this may be in response to the increasing discussions about online privacy issues (despite the anonymity of the individual s survey results). For the 2011 (Survey 7) and the 2012 (Survey 8), the words not prepared to say were added to the don t know category. This may account for the increase in the don t know category and the subsequent decrease in the middle range categories. 2 8 However, even in the earlier surveys the weekly income of the individual clearly showed that the surveys had captured respondents who earned across a range of income categories. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 14
Profile of Respondents By geotribe Table 1 shows the profile of the Survey 2012 respondents by geotribe compared to the Profile of the Australian Population. Table 1: geotribe Profile of Respondents Compared to Profile of Australian Population geotribe Profile of 2012 Survey Respondents Profile of Australian Population Achievers Boomers Crusaders Debtstars Fortunats Grey Power Independents Preppies Rockafellas Slender Meanz Struggleville Suburban Splendour Survivors True Blues Twixters Total 11% 8% 7% 13% 5% 11% 11% 6% 7% 3% 5% 4% 5% 3% 4% 8% 7% 3% 5% 5% 7% 8% 4% 9% 8% 6% 3% 4% 10 10 Comments All 15 geotribes were represented in the survey sample. This is not surprising given the socio-demographic profile of the respondents already discussed in this section. It confirms, however, that the behaviours and views of Australians from a wide range of different stages of life and social status have been collected. In line with the overall generalisability of the survey results to the Australian adult population, the survey profile by geotribe is also remarkably close to the Australian profile. Two deviations from the Australian profile are notable, namely, that the Crusaders were over-represented in the survey while the Survivors were under-represented. This is consistent with the 2011 Survey sample geotribe profile and is not surprising given the make up of the these particular geotribe segments. Crusaders are the career-orientated singles and couples who probably spend a lot of time online, and hence may be more likely to complete an online survey. Whereas the priority of the Survivors is survival, that is, little income (living off government benefits) that is spent on the basics like food and healthcare rather than spending time online. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 15
SECTION 2: ABOUT THE MOBILE PHONES, PAYMENT PLANS AND CARRIERS This section includes the mobile phone profile of the respondents, which includes: Smartphone ownership Handset brand ownership Carriers Satisfaction with carrier services Payment methods Monthly phone spend Data allowances Smartphone Ownership of Respondents For the last two years respondents have been asked if their mobile phone was a smartphone. A smartphone was defined in the survey as a mobile telephone with built-in applications and Internet access more like a handheld computer integrated with a mobile telephone, e.g. iphone, Blackberry, Nokia E- and N-series, Google Android, Motorola Mpx series. The results are shown in Figure 10. Smartphone Ownership Across the Surveys 8 P 7 6 5 4 67% 76% 28% 21% YES NO DON T KNOW 5% 3% Survey 2011 Survey 2012 22 AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 16
Comments Not surprisingly there has been an increase in the percentage of respondents that owned a smartphone. 76% of all the respondents owned a smartphone, compared to 67% of respondents in 2011. There is some debate about the exact current ownership figure, suffice to say that ownership is increasing rapidly. The figures will also vary depending on whether it is being measured as a percentage of the overall number of mobile phone subscriptions in Australia (higher than the total number of Australians) or as a percentage of all Australians or just adult Australians. The 2012 Survey results are, however, broadly in line with a report by Frost and Sullivan Australian Mobile Device Usage Trends, published in August 2012, which found that over two-thirds of Australians (68%) aged between 15 and 65 currently own a smartphone. Respondents that did not own a smartphone were asked if they planned to purchase a smartphone in the next 12 months. Although the planned purchase does not usually correlate with actual purchase it does indicate intent, interest and overall mindset. The results are shown in Figure 11. Figure 11: Planned Smartphone Purchase in the Next 12 Months Planned Smartphone Purchase in the Next 12 Months 4 18% 2 31% YES IN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS YES IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS NO I DON T PLAN TO BUY ONE IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS DON T KNOW Comments Of those respondents that did not own a smartphone, 4 plan to purchase one in the next 12 months. Based on the 2012 survey results, 8 of respondents would own a smartphone by end of 2012 and 84% would own a smartphone by mid 2013. 23 AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 17
Handset Brand of Respondents Respondents were asked to record the brand of their mobile phone. Table 2 provides a comparison of brands across the last 4 Surveys. Mobile Phone Brand Ownership of Respondents Across Surveys Table 2: Mobile Phone Brand Ownership Across the Last 4 Surveys Handset Brand Survey 2009 Survey 2010 Survey 2011 Survey 2012 Apple Samsung Nokia HTC LG Sony Ericsson Motorola Blackberry Other 9% 21% 3 4 11% 1 13% 18% 47% 41% 28% 16% 1% 8% 11% 6% 4% 4% 1 9% 5% 3% 5% 3% 3% 1% 3% 3% 3% 3% 4% Comments The results clearly show the steady increase in popularity of Apple handsets over the last four years. The Samsung and HTC brands have experienced much slower growth, while many of the other brands, most notably Nokia have been losing market share. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 18
Mobile Phone Carrier of Respondents As in previous years respondents were asked to record their telecommunications provider. The results for 2012 are presented in Figure 12. Figure 12: Mobile Carrier of Respondents Mobile Phone Carrier of Respondents 5 49% 4 21% 19% TELSTRA OPTUS VODAFONE (3) VIRGIN MOBILE OTHER 6% 5% 26 Comments The breakdown by mobile phone providers is in line with Australian market share figures. In 2012 the Virgin Mobile respondents were again over-represented in the survey. As per last year the decision was made to weight the Virgin Mobile data in line with the market share to facilitate easy interpretation of the results. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 19
Satisfaction With Carrier Services Respondents were asked to indicate if they were satisfied with a range of different mobile phone service related issues. Figure 13 shows the proportion of 2012 respondents who stated that they were satisfied with each of these issues. This information was collected for the first time in the Survey 2009 (Survey 5). Figure 14 shows those respondents that were satisfied 9 with the service provided across the last 4 years. Service satisfaction by carrier was also explored. The results for this analysis are shown in Figure 15. Figure 13: Satisfaction With Services Provided by Carriers Customer Satisfaction With Carrier Services 10 9 8 35% 1% 29% 37% 27% 8% 29% 7% 2 2 9% 21% 7 6 5 4 43% 11% 8% 4% 34% 9% 7% 34% 9% 1 8% 37% 9% 4% 3 24% 5% 29% 19% 14% 9% 33% 2 14% 7% 31% 5% 4% OVERALL SATISFACTION CUSTOMER SERVICE NETWORK COVERAGE RANGE OF PLANS & PACKAGES AVAILABLE VARIETY OF MOBILE HANDSETS AVAILABLE COST OF ACCESSING A DATA SERVICE COST OF VOICE CALLS CONTENT AND SERVICES AVAILABLE VIA YOUR PHONE COMPANIES PORTAL Very dissatisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Neither satisfied or dissatisfied Somewhat satisfied Very satisfied Not applicable 27 Figure 14: Overall Satisfaction With Services Provided by Carriers Across the Surveys Overall Customer Satisfaction With Carrier Services Across Surveys 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 91% 9 78% 76% 78% 75% 63% 61% 78% 78% 71% 67% 83% 8 69% 65% 74% 75% 67% 6 56% 51% 5 51% 71% 69% 54% 55% 7 7 58% 5 OVERALL SATISFACTION CUSTOMER SERVICE NETWORK COVERAGE RANGE OF PLANS & PACKAGES AVAILABLE VARIETY OF MOBILE HANDSETS AVAILABLE COST OF ACCESSING A DATA SERVICE COST OF VOICE CALLS CONTENT AND SERVICES AVAILABLE VIA YOUR PHONE COMPANY S PORTAL Survey 2009 Survey 2010 Survey 2011 Survey 2012 9 Satisfaction was calculated by adding together those respondents that selected either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied. 29 AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 20
Overall Customer Satisfaction With Carrier Services By Carrier Figure 15: Satisfaction With Carrier Services By Individual Carrier 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 85% 8 8 64% 71% 68% 64% 49% 87% 7 66% 37% 87% 66% 64% 6 8 67% 66% 63% 74% 61% 5 49% 7 59% 56% 49% 7 59% 57% 46% OVERALL SATISFACTION CUSTOMER SERVICE NETWORK COVERAGE RANGE OF PLANS & PACKAGES AVAILABLE VARIETY OF MOBILE HANDSETS AVAILABLE COST OF ACCESSING A DATA SERVICE COST OF VOICE CALLS CONTENT AND SERVICES AVAILABLE VIA YOUR PHONE COMPANY S PORTAL Optus Telstra Virgin Vodafone (3) 30 Comments Last year saw the satisfaction levels for almost every service type decrease considerably from previous years. The drop in satisfaction levels was part explained by factors like carrier mergers, and highly publicised carrier network issues. The only exception was satisfaction with cost, which has been steadily increasing from 2009 (Survey 5). The 2012 results have remained at a fairly similar level to last year, with minimal evidence of recovery. Some minor variations follow: Satisfaction with network coverage has increased slightly from 2011, but remains considerably lower than the 2009 and 2010 figures. Satisfaction with the variety of mobile handsets available and the content and services available via the phone s portal continues to decline. Satisfaction with the cost of accessing data has declined and is now back to 2009 and 2010 levels. Satisfaction with services by carrier clearly shows that variation across the carriers was substantial for many of the services. For example: Satisfaction with Virgin was considerably higher for almost all services than other carriers except for network coverage. Satisfaction with Telstra s network coverage was an obvious standout for the carrier and also when compared to the other providers. Vodafone experienced substantially lower levels of satisfaction compared to the other carriers for overall satisfaction, customer service, network coverage and content and services available via the carrier s portal. These results are most likely an outcome of the network issues the carrier has experienced over the last year. AIMIA. The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index. September 2012 21