Young mobile users: Radical and individual – Not

• We analyzed 1 932 responses from students in 2012 and 637 responses of 2001.
• NLPCA suggests only little changes in usage patterns during a decade.
• We compare the valuation of features in 2012 with the results of 2006–2007.
• The results suggest modest changes in perceptions since the rise of smart phones.

The use of mobile phones by youth has stirred a plethora of research in different fields. Literature has analyzed in length the changes and adoption patterns related to the evolving telecommunications industry. This body of knowledge often makes assumptions on the changes in consumer profiles and the value of different features. In this study we take an longitudinal approach by analysing the results of 1 928 responses to an online questionnaire conducted in Finland to students of a university in the Spring 2012 and on against the reanalysis of the responses of the Finnish students of upper secondary schools in the Spring 2001 and study on undergraduate students in 2006–2007. The results indicate that the youth and young adults of Finland, often argued to be an advanced country for mobile services, are surprisingly conservative towards new mobile devices and services. The changes in technology and service offering in a decade, has had a limited impact in attitudes and feature valuation, which sets significant implications to increasing adoption and usage.