If you don’t think you could live without your smartphone, you’re not alone.
On Monday, Bank of America released its annual Trends in Consumer Mobility Report, which studies consumers’ behavior toward their gadgets. The results found that lots of people are still bringing their phone to bed with them or keeping it within reach at night -- despite the wealth of research showing how using these gadgets right before bedtime interferes with sleep patterns.
The survey was conducted among 1,000 checking or savings account holders, age 18 and above, who also own smartphones. A large majority of respondents, 71 percent, said they usually sleep with or next to their mobile phone -- and 3 percent of those people said they sleep with their device in their hand, 13 percent said they keep it on the bed and 55 percent leave it on the nightstand.
Almost one in four said that at one time or another, they've fallen asleep with their smartphone in their hand.
Thirty-five percent of respondents said their smartphone is the first thing they reach for when they wake up. Only 17 percent said they grab coffee as soon as they wake up, 13 percent said they go for their toothbrush and just 10 percent said they reach for their significant other.
(And if you happen to love your smartphone more than your significant other, you’re not alone. A 2014 survey found that Americans consider their smartphones to be more important than sex; and in 2013 almost one in five Americans between 18 and 34 admitted to using their phones while doing the deed.)
Almost half of all the respondents in Bank of America's survey (44 percent) said they couldn’t make it a day without their smartphone. Additionally, 23 percent of respondents said they check their phone every few minutes, and 29 percent said they look at their phone every 5 to 10 minutes.
Stats about mealtimes weren't encouraging, either. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they text during meals, and 32 percent admitted texting mid-conversation. Millennials seem to be worse offenders than older age groups, with 55 percent engaging in mealtime texting, and 49 percent texting during conversations.
Even on vacation, people still seem to be tethered to their mobile device: A paltry 7 percent of Americans said they unplug completely.
For more details and results, click over to Bank of America's study. And if you're feeling guilty after reading this, here are 10 tips on how to improve your smartphone etiquette.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated incorrectly that the study examined consumers with Bank of America accounts. It examined consumers with checking or savings accounts at any bank.