Study: Americans spend more time on mobile devices than print media

U.S. adults now spend more time each day on mobile devices than they do with traditional print media, according to a new study issued by eMarketer.

chart

Americans now devote an average of 65 minutes per day to mobile devices, up from 50 minutes a day in 2010 and 32 minutes a day in 2008. A year ago, time spent on mobile tied with time dedicated to newspapers and magazines (30 minutes and 20 minutes per day, respectively) but in 2011, Americans spend just 26 minutes a day on newspapers and 18 minutes on magazines.

Television and video continue to capture the majority of attention, with the average adult consumer dedicating 274 minutes each day to viewing experiences, up from 264 minutes in 2010. The Internet is next at 167 minutes a day (increasing from 155 minutes a year ago), followed by radio at 94 minutes (down from 96 minutes 12 months earlier).

Shifts in advertiser spending lag behind evolving consumer behaviors, eMarketer reports. Although American adults spend 10.1 percent of the average day on mobile devices, marketers continue to earmark just 0.9 percent of ad spending on the mobile channel--conversely, marketers devote 15.0 percent of spending to newspapers (just 4.0 percent of the average day) and 9.7 percent to magazines (2.8 percent of the average day).