Three out of every four people surveyed in India have ‘nomophobia’ – the fear of being separated from their smartphone due to low battery or other reasons, finds a joint study by mobile phone makers Opposition And market research firm Counterpoint said on Friday.
According to the report, 65 percent of smartphone users surveyed experience emotional distress—worried or anxious, disconnected, helpless, afraid of being lost, nervous, insecure—when their battery dies.
Nomophobia, short for no mobile phobia, refers to the fear or anxiety caused by not having a working mobile phone.
OPPO India collaborated with Counterpoint to understand the battery concern level of modern smartphone users. The survey covered over 1,500 respondents across Tier 1 and some Tier 2 cities.
OPPO India said, “This is a foundational study and will play a key role in building our products. 60 per cent of people are going to replace their smartphones because the battery is not working. More importantly, we make our products cite it for making batteries.” Chief Marketing Officer Damayant Singh Khanoria said.
The study found that 82 percent of male users felt more anxious, compared to 74 percent of female users.
92.5 percent of users use power saving mode in their phones and 87 percent use their phones while they are charging.
Around 42 per cent respondents use their smartphone most for entertainment, with social media topping the list. Around 65 per cent users give up phone usage to save battery while 82 per cent limit their social media usage.
“Our smartphones have become our personal universes that enable us to stay connected personally and professionally, and also for entertainment. As a result, many of us have developed a phobia of being without our phones.”
“As a result, people often feel anxious at the thought of running out of battery and being unable to use their phone. Feelings of low battery anxiety are higher among the working age group of 31 to 40 years than among the age group of 25 years.” . for 30 years,” said Tarun Pathak, director of research at Counterpoint.