Pew Internet and American Life Project
A new Pew Research report released today reveals that mobile app users are still in the minority, but in general they are younger, better educated and more engaged with news than the average consumer.
The report, “The Rise of Apps Culture,” reports that while 35 percent of adult cell phone users have downloaded apps, only 24 percent actually use them. However, those who do use mobile apps appear to be highly engaged news consumers. Ninety percent of mobile app users read the news online, compared to 75 percent of all Internet users.
People’s use of apps has a lot to do with their age:
- 79 percent of 18-29 year-olds use apps
- 67 percent of 30-49 year-olds use apps
- 50 percent of those 50 and older use apps
For those who use apps, 60 percent report downloading a game in the past 30 days, followed by news with 52 percent. Here are the most popular news and information apps, according to the report:
- Weather Channel — 32 percent
- Weatherbug — 10 percent
- CNN Mobile — 9 percent
- Accuweather — 9 percent
- USA Today — 8 percent
- New York Times — 7 percent
- Fox News — 7 percent
