Smartphone use rises in US – but many owners struggle with cost, says study

Research shows 64% of Americans own a smartphone but 23% run into money problems and 15% run out of mobile data

In the last three years the number of Americans owning a smartphone has jumped from 35% to almost two-thirds but affordability has meant many have had difficulties paying for them, according to the latest Pew study.

Questioning over 2,000 people by phone, the research group found that smartphone ownership was up to 64% by the end of 2014, and that the number of Americans who depend on their smartphone as their primary portal to the internet 15%.