How likely are Americans to switch their phone carrier in the next 12 months?

Mobile data plans are far down the list of areas where consumers would consider cutting spending globally in the midst of the cost of living crisis, indicating that mobile and internet are critical services for consumers. Perhaps this is why Verizon, AT&T, and, to a lesser extent, T-Mobile – three major telecom companies – raised their rates on older service plans in May, despite soaring inflation. But looking ahead a year, how likely or unlikely are American consumers to switch phone carriers?

According to YouGov Profiles, an audience intelligence tool, one-fifth of Americans are likely to change their carrier in the next 12 months. Less than a tenth (8%) say they are neither likely nor unlikely to switch. More than three in five (62%) say they are unlikely to do so.

Among consumers who have 4G capabilities on their phones, though, that figure goes up – and almost a third of consumers (32%) are likely to change their carrier in the next 12 months.

As for those who have 5G connections, a little more than a fifth say they are likely to switch their phone carrier in the next 12 months, with three in five of them saying they are unlikely to move providers.

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Methodology

YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for the US is nationally representative of the online population and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.