Americans hate the proliferation of mobile phones and tablets at the dinner table, according to a new survey by the Saint Leo University Polling Institute. Whether they will do something about it is another question.
According to the Saint Leo poll, 84 percent of Americans say they agree with a policy of not allowing smart phones and other handheld devices at the table during family dinner. That number climbed to 87 percent when a family has guests joining them for dinner—with women even less tolerant than men (89 percent of women compared to 84 percent of men) of phones when guests are present.
But is this a sentiment more honored in the breach than in the observance?
“Just because we say we don’t like having mobile phones at the table doesn’t mean we don’t also like to check our email or the score of the football game during a meal,” said Drew Gold, director of the Saint Leo University Polling Institute.
The online survey of 1002 adults was conducted December 1-6 and has a margin of error of about three percent.
To view poll results click here.