May 12th, 2023, Kineree Shah
According to a new YouGov survey, one in 20 global consumers foresees a likelihood of needing to take on debt to maintain their mobile phone network access in 2023 (5%). This statistic, while on the lower end of the spectrum when compared to other categories like housing (12%) and transportation (8%), highlights the increasing importance of mobile connectivity in people's lives and the lengths they are willing to go to maintain it.
Notably, the percentage of consumers likely to take on debt for mobile phone network access surpasses categories such as restaurants/bars/out-of-home entertainment, sports and fitness, cosmetics and beauty products, and media streaming services (4% each) This implies that, for many, maintaining mobile network access is prioritized over other forms of entertainment and leisure.
The likelihood of taking on debt for phone network access varies by market. Almost one in five consumers in India, the highest among all surveyed countries, anticipate taking on debt for this purpose (19%). The UAE follows closely behind, with slightly over one in seven consumers expressing the same sentiment (14%). In contrast, the figures for Indonesia (7%), Singapore (6%), China (6%), and Hong Kong (4%) are noticeably lower.
In Europe the highest figures appear in Spain (4%) and Poland (3%), where one in twenty-five consumers may borrow for this purpose. However, this figure is notably lower than most of the Asian markets. In Italy, France, Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, only 2% of consumers anticipate needing to take on such debt.
In the United States, only 3% of consumers anticipate needing to borrow for phone network access, while in Canada and Mexico, the figure doubles to 6% and 7% respectively.
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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 18 markets with sample sizes varying between 512 and 2034 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in February 2023. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.