The Lookout Blog

The Numbers Are In: UK Mobile Users Love Phones Yet Few Take Steps To Protect Them

“If you could save one personal item out of a burning house, what would it be?” If you live in the United Kingdom, chances are you answered your mobile device.

This morning, we announced that a localized version of Lookout is available in the UK. We conducted a survey among 1000 UK mobile users to gain insight into how Brits regard their mobile devices and what steps they currently take to protect their phones. What did the numbers show? Overwhelmingly, mobile users rate their mobile device as the most important gadget they own. Forty-six percent of mobile users said the mobile phone was their most important gadget, 22% cited their laptop/tablet and a mere 18% chose their car. Yet surprisingly few UK mobile users take steps to protect their most personal device.

How important is your phone? In addition to rating their phone as their most important gadget, Brits also most often selected their mobile phone as the one personal item they would save from a burning house. Twenty-three percent named their mobile phone as the one item they would save, 20% specified their laptop/tablet, 18% chose a photo album, 14% said their wallet, 6% answered their keys. The phone is undoubtedly so important because of the information on it. When asked about the most treasured items on their mobile phones, mobile users noted their personal contacts (35%) first, their photos (32%) second and their text or voice messages (9%) third.

What if your phone went missing? When asked, “how long could you ‘survive’ without your phone if it was lost or stolen?” 15% of survey respondents said they could not survive at all, followed by just under a third that said they could last only a couple of minutes to a couple of hours. Similarly, 60% of UK mobile users said they feel ‘connected’ or ‘safe’ when they have their mobile devices with them; while more than 50% feel ‘frustrated’ or ‘anxious’ when they do not have their phone.  Two-thirds of mobile users admit that they worry about losing the personal contacts and information stored on their device

How do users protect their phone? While mobile users clearly value their phones, very few take the basic safety steps to secure their sensitive data. Seventy-four percent of respondents do not regularly back up personal contacts, and 60% of mobile users admitted to having no PIN or passcode set on their device. Only 14% of mobile users answered that they would have a way to track their phone if it was lost or stolen.

Based on the survey results, it appears that while UK consumers treasure their mobile devices, very few take the proper precautions to protect them. With people across the globe relying on their mobile device to store and share important information, it’s extremely important for people everywhere to secure their phones. Lookout’s easy-to-use app protects phones from mobile threats, backs up important data, and can find a lost cell phone if it ever goes missing—thus giving people the confidence to safely explore everything the mobile world has to offer. We look forward to protecting phones in the UK and beyond!