• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 25, 2013

According to the findings of a new poll of 18,083 online respondents conducted by Ipsos’ Holiday Poll, 73% of consumers in 24 countries report they have ever ‘used a mobile device to send a text greeting on a holiday or other special occasion because they were far away’ and 65% said they have ‘used a mobile device (mobile phone or tablet) to take photos of gatherings’ for communication with loved ones, such as family or friends. 42% have used an online video chat platform (such as Skype or Facetime).

Demographically speaking, offers the report, women are more likely than men to have texted far-away loved ones (76% vs. 70%, respectively) and to have used a mobile device to take photos at gatherings (67% vs. 63%). Young respondents are more likely than their older counterparts to have used their phones to take photos at gatherings:

• Under 35: 68%
• Aged 35-49: 64%
• Aged 50-64: 60%

And to use online video chat

• Under 35: 46%
• Aged 35-49: 39%
• Aged 50-64: 40%

Age does not make a meaningful difference in terms of who is most likely to text loved ones who are far away on special occasions or holidays, says the report:

• Under 35: 72%
• Aged 35-49: 74%
• Aged 50-64: 72%

Those who have high household income levels (77%) are more likely than those with middle (73%) or low (68%) income to say they have texted loved ones far away on a holiday or special occasion. The same is true for proportions of those who have used a mobile device to take photos at a gathering:

• High HH income: 72%
• Medium: 66%
• Low: 59%

And to use online video chat

• High: 50%,
• Medium: 41%
• Low: 37%

Similarly, those with a high level of education are most likely to text loved ones on holidays (high: 76%, medium: 73%, low: 70%), to use their phone to take pictures at gatherings (high: 69%, medium: 65%, low: 62%) and to use video chat (high: 48%, medium: 43%, low: 37%).

Texting far-away loved ones appears to be a global norm as a majority of respondents in each country say they have ever done this in order to communicate with loved ones. Those most likely to say they have are from: Sweden (89%), South Africa (84%), Russia (83%), Indonesia (82%), Spain (82%), Hungary (81%), Belgium (80%) and Italy (77%).

Those in the middle of the pack are from: France (76%), Australia (75%), Great Britain (75%), Poland (74%), South Korea (73%), Turkey (73%), Argentina (69%) and the United States (69%).

Those least likely to say they text, though still majorities in each country, are from: India (67%), Mexico (67%), Germany (66%), Brazil (62%), Japan (62%), China (61%), Saudi Arabia (61%) and Canada (59%).

Around half or more of those in all countries surveyed also indicate they use their mobile devices to take photos at gatherings with friends and family. Those from South Africa (84%), Indonesia (75%), Spain (75%), Turkey (74%), Russia (72%), Poland (72%), Australia (70%), and Great Britain (70%) are most likely to say so.

They are followed by: The United States (69%), Brazil (69%), Hungary (67%), India (66%), Argentina (65%), Mexico (65%), Sweden (64%) and South Korea (64%).

The range of those who have used an online video chat platform (such as Skype or Facetime) is more varied across the countries. At the top of the list, half or more from the following countries say they have interacted in this way: Turkey (58%), Russia (54%), India (53%); and near the bottom: United States (36%), France (31%), Germany (31%)

N.B. The precision of Ipsos online polls are calculated using a credibility interval. In this case, a poll of 1,000 is accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and one of 500 is accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points in their respective general populations. In countries where internet penetration is approximately 60% or higher the data output is weighted to reflect the general population. Of the 24 countries surveyed, 15 yield results that are representative: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States.

For more information from Ipsos-NA, including detailed tables, please visit here.