Email and text drives families apart- survey

Internet service provider PlusNet found that one third of people in the UK feel that their relationships with friends and family have suffered, because they don’t physically talk with each other enough.

The study into communication habits revealed that although email has become the most popular method of communication with friends and family, with 81% of respondents using it, 41 per cent of people would prefer to receive a phone call.

Neil Armstrong, head of marketing at PlusNet, said: “When you’re busy, it’s tempting to send an email or text, rather than pick up the phone. While there’s time and place for each of these methods, undeniably it’s a personal phone call that keeps friends and family together”.

Despite mobile phones and the internet, nearly 50% of people felt that they have less time to keep in touch with friends and family now than in the past.

Nearly seven in ten people blamed longer working hours for this lack of time. More than a quarter of people feel pressure to spend more quality time communicating with friends and family, but many complain about the cost of calls.

PlusNet said it believes the answer is making free calls over the internet, using  Voice over IP (VoIP) services.

Other communication trends revealed by the PlusNet research included a high proportion of people resorting to using email, text and IM in situations where they are trying to avoid confrontation or find communication uneasy.

Two-fifths (40%) of respondents found new technologies less confrontational and used them to flirt (27%), apologise for missed birthdays (22%), and to inform their employers about being sick (19%).

The PlusNet survey polled 3,250 people across the UK from 3 – 15 October, 2005