Nomophobia rates on the rise in the UK, now at 66%

Nomophobia is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact and according to research conducted by OnePoll the percentage affected by this strange phobia is on the rise. OnePoll surveyed 1000 people in employment in the UK and found that two in three people fear misplacing or spending time away from their mobile phone. This number is up from 53% in 2008.

The study also revealed that the nomophobia has shifted from a man's phobia to a woman's within the last four years. “I’d be inclined to draw the conclusion that, perhaps because more men have two phones, they’re less likely to misplace both and therefore be left phone-less,” said Andy Kemshall, SecurEnvoy CTO.

Also revealed is that while 49% of interviewees would be upset if a partner flicked through their messages and texts, a staggering 46% don't have any form of lockscreen protection on their phones. 41% of the more security-minded UK residents use a PIN code and just 10% encrypt their device's data.

Kitguru says: I am part of that 46% that does not have any basic security measures on their phone, the difference being I like to keep a closer eye on mine. Deciding to treat my phone more like an expensive watch rather than a fake pair of designer sunglasses.

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