Mobile Internet Behaviors: Browser and App Preferences

The proportion of mobile device owners who use their phone to access the internet regularly has more than doubled since 2009 in the US and Western Europe. Respondents prefer to use mobile applications over their native mobile browsers for more highly structured use-cases. Consumers indicate that mobile apps provide quicker, direct access to the content they are seeking, while mobile browsing provides more flexibility to take multiple action paths, allowing for more "casual browsing". Mobile apps also allow users to see the content they want through a delivery mechanism built specifically for that content. However, consumers feel that some mobile apps can often be limited in functionality compared to accessing the content through their mobile browsers.

1 Executive Summary
2 Introduction
3 Mobile Internet Usage Continues to Rise
3.1 Young Adult Respondents Continue to Drive Mobile Web Browsing
3.2 iPhone Owners Browse the Most, Android Catching Up
4 Mobile Browsing vs. PC Browsing
4.1 Younger Respondents Have Longer Mobile Internet Sessions
5 Mobile Browser vs. Mobile Application Use
6 Conclusion
7 Analyst Contacts
8 Participant Profiles