Young adults opt for mobiles over all else

Most young adults in the UK would rather give up alcohol, chocolate, sex, tea or coffee than live without their mobile phone for a month.

The results form part of the Mobile Life 2007 report produced by Carphone Warehouse in conjunction with the London School of Economics.

The study was based on an online survey of 1,256 adults aged 16-64 as well as an ethnographic experiment depriving 24 people of their mobile phones for a week.

One in three people would not give up their mobile phone for a 'million pounds or more', and women lead the way of those most likely to refuse.

Among the 16-24 group, 22 per cent would want more than a million pounds to sacrifice their phone compared to an average of 16 per cent. A further 16 per cent said that they would not give it up at any price.

However, 20 per cent of young adults aged between 16-24 feel that a mobile phone actually decreases their quality of life.

The most common reasons cited were 'work can contact you anytime', followed by people leaving arrangements until the last minute and mobiles making people a target for crime.

In comparison, 28 per cent of those aged 25-34 singled out 'sex' as the one thing they would not want to give up for a month.

As a whole, it seems that the UK is a nation of caffeine junkies, as the majority would rather give up sex, chocolate, alcohol and their mobile phone than a nice cup of tea or coffee.

"The results of the survey and ethnographic video diaries for Mobile Life highlight the complex relationships that people have with their mobile phones [involving] feelings of choice versus control," said Tristia Clarke, group marketing director at Carphone Warehouse.

The ethnographic experiment was filmed by participants in video diary format, revealing the effects of their experiences ranging from 'absolute freedom' to 'lack of control'.

The survey showed clearly that living without a mobile phone affects people in different ways; some participants reported feeling lost, isolated and frustrated, while others felt free from life's pressures.

What people would least like to give up, if given the choice (percentage):