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Poll sheds light on how Russians use smartphones, whether they can stay away from them

Two thirds of smartphone users say they wouldn’t be willing to switch to an old-school phone

MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. More than half (58%) of Russians surveyed say they have no problem staying off their smartphone, according to a poll from the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) published on the organization’s website.

"More than half of Russians claim that they have no problem going without their smartphone and do not think about missed notifications (58%). A quarter of respondents, on the contrary, feel uneasy when away from the gadget for a long time (26%). Another 14% of Russians don’t care one way or another - this is the share of 'non-users' of smartphones in our country," the report says.

Two thirds (66%) of smartphone users say they wouldn’t be willing to switch to an old-school phone.

Russians believe the main function of a smartphone is to keep in touch with family and friends (86%). About one third of respondents also use it to help with work or school and read news (41% and 39%, respectively), browse social networks (32%), shop online (31%) and watch videos, movies and TV series (30%).

Russians also often use their smartphones as a respite from work or school (51%), to rest (49%) and before going to bed (46%). Almost a quarter (25%) also use their phones while eating.

The survey was conducted on April 14 and was attended by 1,600 Russians aged 18 and over.

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