How long do Americans talk on calls in a day?

A new survey conducted among US adults provides insights into how long people talk on calls in a day. The survey focused on two main types of calls: those made to friends and family, and work-related calls.

For calls to friends and family, 17% of Americans reported spending less than one minute on these calls daily. The majority, 35%, spend between 1-15 minutes talking to their loved ones. Overall, half of Americans (52%) spend less than 15 minutes talking on their phone in a day. A smaller group, 13%, spends 16-30 minutes, while one in 10 spend 31-60 minutes (11%). Some 7% of Americans spend more than an hour talking on calls with friends and family each day.

In contrast, the time spent on work-related voice calls shows different patterns. One in five adults spend less than one minute on these calls (22%), while 17% spend 1-15 minutes. Only 6% of Americans reported spending 16-30 minutes on work calls, and just 3% each for 31-45 minutes and 46-60 minutes. In all, half of Americans spend less than hour taking work calls in a day.

Analyzing the data by age reveals some trends. Younger adults, particularly those aged 18-24, show varied usage. For instance, 16% of this age group spends 31-45 minutes on friends and family calls, while only 7% of those aged 55+ spend the same amount of time. The 18-24 age group also shows higher percentages for longer call durations, with 9% spending more than 2 hours on personal calls.

Adults aged 25-34 tend to spend less time on work-related calls, with 20% spending less than one minute. In contrast, only 15% of adults aged 35-44 and 26% of those aged 45-54 spend less than one minute on work calls.

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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online in April 2024, with a nationally representative sample of 1,510 adults (aged 18+ years) in the US, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, race, gender, education, and region to be representative of all adults in the US (18 years or older), and reflect the latest population estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.