Practically half of those aged 15 or older in Switzerland have a smartphone with a touch screen and internet access, based on an internet survey.

Four out of five young adults who took part in the Swiss price comparison website comparis.ch survey own such a device.

The survey of some 1,200 people aged 15 to 74 was conducted through the website by market research institute Link at the end of February 2012.

Of the respondents, 48 per cent said they had a mobile phone with a touch screen and web access. Based on that percentage the researchers suggest there are 2.9 million smartphones being toted in Swiss pockets and bags. The numbers represent a major increase from 2007, when only three per cent of comparis.ch respondents possessed such a device.

Among 15-to-19-year-olds, nearly four out of five young people have a smartphone, compared with three out of four people aged 20 to 24. Fewer than 50 per cent 40-to-44-year-olds have a smartphone while eleven per cent of people over 70 use one.

More men (53 percent) than women (42 percent) said they owned a smartphone. Fifty per cent of the people in the French-speaking part of the country have one, compared with 48 per cent in German-speaking and 36 per cent in Italian-speaking canton Ticino.

The iPhone is the smartphone of choice for 55 per cent of users, compared with the 36 per cent using Android technology.

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