Phone manners

Zoosk, a social dating community, recently conducted a survey to see what singles think about cell phone usage as it relates to dating. The survey is in conjunction with national Cell Phone Courtesy Month month.

The Zoosk survey was conducted online in June 2011 and fielded 3,245 responses from singles in the U.S. who use Zoosk.

Results show that while cell phones are a necessary component to dating, many singles are fed up with what they consider rude cell phone behavior and one third of singles have actually walked out of a date due to the other person’s offensive cell phone etiquette.

"While many singles rely on mobile apps such as Zoosk’s to find a date, our survey uncovered the unwritten rules of mobile-phone use that are clearly being abused," says Alex Mehr, co-founder and co-CEO of Zoosk. "We are surprised to hear that flagrantly reckless cell phone behavior has driven one third of singles to actually get up and excuse themselves from a date altogether. It’s our hope that singles follow proper cell phone etiquette to ensure that a mobile faux pas doesn’t ‘cell’ their date short."

SURVEY FINDINGS
• 33% of singles say they have left a date early because the other person was "too absorbed with their cell phone."

• 86% of singles say "constantly glancing at a cell phone" is the most offensive cell phone-related behavior during a date, worse than sending a text message (73% of singles think this is rude) or taking a call (51% of singles think this is offensive).

• 25% of women have dumped a guy via text, whereas only 15% of men have taken that route.

• Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that 25% of singles are okay with their date being distracted by his or her cell phone during a date.

• 73% of singles want to receive a voice mail so they can hear their date’s voice, while only 27% of singles prefer to receive a text message.

• 49% of singles say an "annoying or obnoxious ringtone" is the least sexy cell phone accessory, followed by a Bluetooth headset (26%), a cell phone belt clip (17%), and ugly faceplates (8%).

• Only 35% of singles under the age of 30 have a problem with their date taking and later posting photos to Facebook or Twitter.

• 55% of singles age 31+ say they would be upset to learn a date had posted photos from the date to a social networking site.

• 68% of singles say it’s a no-no to "check-in" on Foursquare, Facebook, Yelp or another platform when you arrive at a date.