Cost is the main reason Americans switch phone carriers. Why else do they jump ship?

While cost is the main motivator for consumers to switch from one wireless carrier to another, YouGov data reveals other reasons why Americans have switched providers in the last 12 months.

One in five (19%) of Americans who provided a reason for switching carriers say they did so to get access to better internet and mobile data quality and 17% say they did so for a better service plan(for example to get a higher volume of texts or voice calls).

Good customer service is less of a concern to Americans, with just 14% citing it as a reason to jump providers, although there is a notable gulf between Millenials (12%) and Baby Boomers (18%).

One in nine (9%) consumers who jumped networks say they did so to get on the same network as family or friends. Device price (9%) and availability (6%) are also included on our list.

Of course, more than anything else, price is the main force behind consumer movement between carriers, with roughly a third (32%) of respondents saying so. YouGov data also tracks how much people spend on cell service, which reveals a plurality of consumers pay between $25 and $50 per month to their carrier (22%).

Further YouGov data shows that 13% of American consumers are likely to change their cellphone service provider in the next 12 months. That figure increases to 18% among Millenials.

Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data from several sources, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data referenced is based on a sample size of 3,935 Americans who provided a reason for switching carriers in the last 12 months. Online interviews were conducted between March 2020 – March 2021. Profiles data is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race.

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Image: Getty