• by P.J. Bednarski , Staff Writer @pjbtweet, February 13, 2013

According to a new survey, 20% of mobile subscribers watch a video on any given day, and altogether that traffic makes up more than 50% of the total mobile data traffic on wireless networks.

The Citrix ByteMobile Mobile Analytics Report has so much more—it features really quirky stats that are highlighted below.

But first, let’s do the hard-news part.

Thought it isn’t so rude to come right out and say it, this report suggests consumers also are generally clueless about many aspects of the mobile experience. Citrix likes to say, more kindly, “The data points to contrast between what mobile device owners think they know about their devices and plans, and what the reality is when consuming content.”

Based on an email invitation and survey of 1,000 smartphone and tablet users, 18 and older, between Jan. 8-15, it repeats some familiar data. Like: People just won’t wait for a video to develop—a third of the respondents boogie after eight seconds if nothing is happening on their phone.

But this is new to me: When that happens, 51% blame their service provider, and 49% the slow-poke Website. Citrix suggests wireless networks should do a better job defending their honor; usually it’s the Website that is creating the delay.

Overwhelmingly, most of the videos on a mobile phone are presented in low-res (360p or less). But the majority of survey respondents (64%) think it’s high definition. It’s hard to fault consumers for that. High-def is all they ever hear about.

 The ByteMobile Analytics Report --and I do think  “The ByteMobile Analytics Report Knows All About Me” would make a great t-shirt—notes that mobile video advertising eats up 1% of a typical mobile-user’s monthly data traffic, which isn’t much now, but, with mobile video becoming increasingly prevalent, that figure is bound to increase.

That means, broadly, that consumers end up paying for the ads they see on their mobile phones. The report says right now, mobile users watch an average of two minutes of content at a time. That’s  up 100% over the time spent in 2010, which in Mobile Years is like when dinosaurs roamed the Verizon Store.

Right now 61% think mobile ads do not count against their monthly data limit from their wireless provider. Hmm!  

As note above, this report is filled with survey results that can really make you stop and think, or laugh, or shudder.

Here’s one:

--38% of smartphone users are served ads from Google; the top four ad networks by reach and data are owned by Google.

And here’s one that isn’t much about video online at all:

--On any given day, out of ten network-connected gaming smartphone subscribers, four will play Words with Friends.      

The Bytemobile consumer survey, conducted by Wakefield Research, also says:

-- 39% of mobile users have cheated on the games they play online.

--70% have chosen to stream video on a mobile device rather than a computer, and of those, 15% watched on a phone because they were supposed to be doing something else. Another 5% watched on a smartphone because they were embarrassed by what they were intending to watch.

--52% wish that others people would stop sharing videos with them, particularly “kid videos” (23%), pet videos (22%), wedding videos (20%) and vacation videos (19%). Another 22% really don’t want to a holiday video from you.

--People trust the Internet (55%) over their parents (45%) for how-to-advice.

--46% watch a television program secretly, via mobile device. In order of shame (I’d guess), the most-watched range from  “Pawn Stars” (36% )  to “Duck Dynasty (19%) with “Storage Wars,” “The Real Housewives” series, “The Bachelorette,” “Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo,” “Deadliest Catch,”  “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” “Ice Loves Coco” and “Dance Moms” in between.

And finally, and most sadly to me, 42% of mobile video watchers, recorded an embarrassing video of someone last year, and 52% of them saved it to share with others.