Analysts: Internet connections, cell phones are failing consumers

Internet connections lead the pack at 44 percent among technologies that are not working for home users, says a study released today. In one intriguing result, cell phones pose more problems for 18-to-29-year-olds than for senior citizens.

Some 44 percent of adult Americans with home Internet access claim that their connections failed at some point over the past 12 months, says a new survey by Pew Research, which also points to significant problems with the operation of PCs, cell phones, and PDAs.

The results weren't all that different across the four age groups studied -- which ranged from 18-to-29-year-olds, sometimes referred to as "Millenials," to senior citizens in the 65-plus bracket -- except that, surprisingly, people under age 39 are a lot more likely to experience cell phone failure than the two oldest groups examined.

In terms of the devices studied, iPod and MP3 players were the least likely to fail, with only 15% of respondents using these products reporting problems with them over the past year.

On the other hand, 26% of those with "BlackBerrys, Palm Pilots, or other personal digital assistants" pointed to difficulties with their devices. The same held true for 39% of desktop and laptop computer users asked about those machines.

Among all cell phone owners studied, 29% said their devices have failed to work properly over the previous 12 months.

But only 18% of the 65-plus group had trouble with their cell phones, and 26% of those between 50 and 64 years old. In comparison, 30% of respondents between 18 and 29 years of age experienced cell phone problems, along with 33% of those 30 to 49.

While citing no definite reasons behind the differences in cell phone experiences, Pew's John B. Horrigan and Sydney Jones, the two authors of the report, suggested that older users "may have less wear and tear on their phones than do younger users."

Senior citizens "are not as exclusively reliant on their cell phones as younger owners," and are significantly more likely to have landline phones at home, according to the analysts.

It would stand to reason, however, that results might also be impacted by other factors. Are younger users less tolerant of cell phone glitches, maybe?

Are 18-to-29-year-olds more prone to cell phone failure because they're more likely to adopt newer and more complex devices, such as iPhones and Android phones, for instance? Alternatively, are iPhones and Android phones considered by Pew to be PDAs, rather than cell phones? The report really doesn't say.

But the survey does answer the question of how the consumers in the study handled device failure. About 38% contacted user support for help. Another 28% fixed the problem themselves, and 15% did so with assistance from family or friends.

Only two percent looked for and found the solution to the problem online. A total of 15% "were NOT able to fix the problem," the researchers acknowledged.