A majority of cell phone users acknowledge they get irritated at other people for using cell phones in a public place.
The University of Michigan poll found that six in 10 cell phone users say that using a cell phone in public can be “a major irritation.”
About four in 10 said there should a law that prohibits people from talking on cell phones in public places like museums, movie theaters and restaurants. Eight in 10 said cell phones are a major safety hazard if used while driving.
But cell phone users also like the convenience that cell phones can bring.
About eight in 10 cell phone users said the phones have made their lives easier. By comparison, six in 10 e-mail users said e-mail has made their lives easier.
“These findings suggest Americans have mixed feelings about cell phone use,” said Michael Traugott, a researcher at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research.
More than half said they liked all the information that is available to them because of new technology, while about one in 10 said they felt overwhelmed.
The poll was released Monday at the start of the annual meeting of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association in New Orleans.
The poll of 752 adults was taken from March 3-10 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.