Ulster Bank research: Millennial phone habits could be standing in the way of love.
A study of the way people in Northern Ireland use their mobile phones has revealed that the obsessive checking of apps and smartphones could be getting in the way of finding true love, particularly with millennials aged 25 – 34 years.
With 2018 delivering an app for everything, spending more and more time on smartphones is the new normal, and Ulster Bank has conducted research showing that using your phone more practically and mindfully can reap rewards in many aspects of life.
When it comes to choosing a partner, over 70% of 25-34-year olds and single people agreed that using a smartphone proportionately would make someone else more appealing, with 68 per cent of millennials saying they’d even find someone more attractive if they used their smartphone to manage their money more effectively. 64 per cent of those surveyed who were already married agreed.
The research also placed ‘obsessively checking their smartphone’ as the top turnoff when it came to a first date, with men agreeing (60%) slightly more than women (55%). 57 per cent of those surveyed who were single put it as their number one no-no, followed by ‘drinking too much’ and ‘not being polite to waiting staff’.
The least appealing trait for women was ‘staring at your phone mid-conversation’ (74%), while 69 per cent of men said that someone taking a lot of selfies was their biggest obsessive phone use turn-off.
The research comes after tech companies have introduced features to help users manage their screen time better and with heightened security. Apple Screen Time, for example, helps the user spend less time on mindless social media apps by introducing time limits and added security, and more on productive apps to enhance their lives, from fitness goals to secure money management.
Commenting on the findings, Terry Robb at Ulster Bank said; “It’s no surprise that being more sensible with your smartphone is an attractive quality. It’s now possible to have our lives in the palms of our hands with apps helping us connect with people, shop, book holidays and manage our finances. So whether it’s snapping a selfie or logging in with FaceID, making sure that you’re using your smartphone it safely, securely – and above all, at the right time – is really important .”
Recent news has shown that thieves now monitor celebrities’ social media to find out when they’re on holiday, giving opportunity for break ins and because smartphones now track the users every move, transaction and parking space, cybercrime is soaring towards targeting smartphones.
Terry Robb says the bank has steps in place secure smartphone users’ information: “With biometric security log-in features and our Secure Banking Promise, we’re helping keep customers’ money safe so they can plan for that second date – if they’re lucky enough to get one. We’re encouraged by the research findings that show customers who are most likely to bank digitally, 25 – 34-year olds, would prefer a partner to manage their money effectively.”
The survey was undertaken by Cognisense in September 2018, with 1,000 adults questioned face-to-face across Northern Ireland, providing a representative sample of the Northern Ireland population.
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