Viber Report Reveals Americans Are Straitlaced Texters, Avoid Sending Risque Messages and Drunk Texting

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom (UK) may share a language, but people in these two countries don't share the same habits or preferences when it comes to text messaging. That's according to the 21st Century Messaging Etiquette report released today by leading messaging app Viber. The report surveyed 1,200 adults in each country to understand text messaging habits and preferences among consumers that share the English language.

Overall, the report found Americans are more conservative texters than Brits. When it comes to "sexting," nearly two in five U.S. consumers (37 percent) say sexting is inappropriate, compared to just one in four (29 percent) UK consumers. While Americans may shy away from sexting, men across both countries (30 percent) are less likely than women (35 percent) to find the behavior inappropriate. In fact, one in four (28 percent) men say it's okay to sext one person, and one in six (15 percent) think you can sext as many people as you like, as long as you're messaging them individually.

Additionally, Americans (24 percent) are less likely to drunk text than Brits (35 percent). Nearly two in five (34 percent) Millennials say they drunk text, but UK Millennials (42 percent) are more prone to drunk texting than U.S. Millennials (27 percent). U.S. Millennial men are least likely to drunk text, with fewer than one in five (18 percent) confessing to the act, compared to UK men (40 percent), UK women (41 percent) and U.S. women (29 percent).

Additional report findings show:

• Americans prefer clear and attentive communication. When it comes to response expectations for the people they're texting, Americans are less patient than Brits. One in four (26 percent) Americans say it's rude to not respond to a text within an hour, while fewer Brits (19 percent) have the same expectation. Americans (35 percent) are also more likely than UK consumers (30 percent) to say "ghosting," or disappearing mid-conversation, is the most irritating texting behavior. Americans even want more brevity than Brits, and admit they get irritated when people send multiple texts when one is adequate. Nearly one in five Americans find this behavior annoying (19 percent) compared to one in six (16 percent) in the UK. 
• Group chats aren't a hit in the U.S. While most (39 percent) consumers don't like group chats, Brits (40 percent) are much bigger fans of group chats than Americans (29 percent). In fact, one in six (15 percent) Americans mute group chats every time they're added, and one in four (28 percent) will mute a group if they receive nonstop messages. Millennials in both countries are more accepting of group chats, but UK Millennials (54 percent) have more interest than Americans (38 percent). 
• Women have more "text regret" than men. Overall, more than half (55 percent) of consumers across the U.S. and UK admit they've regretted sending a text message because it damaged an important relationship. However, men in both countries (53 percent) are less likely than women (60 percent) to have text regret. Meanwhile, U.S. women have the most text regret (60 percent) and UK women have the least regret (53 percent).
  

"Messaging platforms have given us the freedom to engage with others in our own manner, tone and context," said Cristina Constandache, CAO of Viber. "Regardless of how you prefer to converse, communication tools should seamlessly support your messaging style and needs. This is why Viber continues to focus on features, such as default muting on group chats and the option to delete sent messages, that help users to effectively communicate and stay connected to people around the world."

For more additional information from the 21st Century Messaging Etiquette report, please visit: https://vb.me/messagingsurvey.

Press Contact:

Stephanie Epstein
SHIFT Communications
[email protected]
617-779-1800

Survey Methodology:

The 21^st Century Messaging Etiquette report was based on a survey of 2,400 respondents aged 18+ (1,200 each in both the UK and the U.S.) conducted over mobile devices by survey company Pollfish.

About Rakuten Viber:

At Rakuten Viber, we connect people. No matter who they are, or where they are from. Our global user base has access to a range of features like one-on-one chats, video calls, group messaging, and updates and discussions with their favorite brands and celebrities. We ensure our users have a secure and free environment to share their emotions.

Rakuten Viber is part of Rakuten, Inc., a world leader in e-commerce and financial services. It is the official communication channel of FC Barcelona, and the official instant messaging and calling app partner of the Golden State Warriors.

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