• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 10, 2013

According to the results of The Harris Poll barometer of technology ownership and interactions among U.S. adults, ownership in many of the top categories of tech products shows little to no growth in comparison to this summer, but many American adults of all ages, and the majority of Echo Boomers, indicate they have tech purchases on the horizon.

52% of Americans confirm owning a smartphone, down slightly from July (54%). Ownership levels specifically for Android powered smartphones (28%, vs. 30% in July) and iPhones (24%, vs. 23% in July) show similarly marginal shifts from last quarter.

In another of the most often discussed and analyzed categories, tablets, a similar story emerges. After rising from 33% to 38% between April and July, now rests at 36%. Other tech categories show similarly negligible shifts when compared to July.

Looking ahead, however, 37% of  Americans, and 54% of Echo Boomers plan on purchasing at least one tech device from the tested list within the next three months. More specifically, roughly one in ten Americans indicate planning the following purchases within that time:

• Smartphone (13%), with planned Android (6%) and iPhone (5%) purchases in a statistical dead heat
• Tablet (11%), with iPad/iPad mini purchase intent (6%) equaling combined intent for Amazon Kindle Fire series (3%) and Android powered (3%) tablets
• Computer (11%)
• HDTV (8%)
• A next-gen gaming console (8%) with PlayStation 4 purchase intent (6%) outpacing that of the Xbox One (3%) at a 2-to-1 ratio.
• As expected, says the report, younger Americans and men are showing stronger intent to purchase tech items in the next three months
• Intent to purchase at least one tech item drops significantly with every generational step up, with Echo Boomers (ages 18-36) showing the strongest intent (54%), followed by Gen Xers, Baby Boomers, and finally Matures
• Men (45%) are also considerably more likely than women (30%) to have at least one tech purchased planned for the near future

Americans with kids under 18 are considerably more likely than those without to be planning at least one tech purchase in the near future (54% and 32%, respectively), with some key gaps by category including:

• Smartphone (21% of those with kids under 18, 11% of those without)
• Tablet (21% with, 8% without)
• Computer (21% with, 8% without)
• Next-gen game console (14% with, 6% without)

Parents of children under 18 are twice as likely to be planning a PlayStation 4 purchase within the next three months (11%) as they are to be planning on buying an Xbox One (5%), says the report

Three-fourths of Americans subscribe to either cable (52%) and/or satellite (25%) services, while one-fourth (25%) have Netflix streaming subscriptions. 13% subscribe to Amazon Prime and 4% subscribe to Hulu Plus.

Streaming content usage doesn't necessarily point to cut cords, though:

• Those with kids under 18 over-index considerably when compared to the general population for streaming Netflix (37% and 25%, respectively,) and Amazon Prime (18% and 13%, respectively) subscriptions, but show little divergence in combined cable and satellite subscriptions (72% parents, 75% general population)
• Echo Boomers are another story entirely. In addition to being above the national average for Netflix streaming (41% Echo Boomers, 25% total) and Amazon Prime (17% and 13%, respectively) subscriptions, this generation shows considerably lower-than-average combined cable and satellite subscriptions (60% Echo Boomers, 75% total)

Pay TV and Streaming Service Subscriptions (% of US Adults)
Adult  Group	TV Service (Cable or Satellite)	Netflex Streaming	Amazon Prime	Hulu Plus
Average	75%	29%	13%	4%
EchoBoomers (18-36)	60	43	17	8
GenX (37-48)	76	31	15	5
Baby Boomers (49-67)	82	21	10	3
Matures (68+)	88	13	6	1
Parents w/kids <18	72	40	18	8
Non-parents	76	25	11	3
Source: Harris Interactive, December 2013

For additional information from Harris Interactive, please visit here.