King’s College London
It's increasingly claimed that our attention spans are under attack from new technology, but the reality is more nuanced
Do we have your attention? How people focus and live in the modern information environment
Read the research
Claims of a supposed "attention war" have seen new technology blamed for a decline in our ability to concentrate – but a major new survey of the UK public by the Policy Institute and Centre for Attention Studies at King's College London reveals a more nuanced picture.
On the one hand, we don't realise how addicted we are to our technology, and worry our attention is shortening:
- UK adults hugely underestimate how often they check their phones, thinking they check them 25 times a day on average, when studies suggest the reality is up to 80 times a day.1
- 50% say despite their best efforts they sometimes can't stop checking their smartphones when they should be focusing on other things, with this proving a struggle for middle-aged people as well as the young.
- People are more likely than not to feel their attention span is shorter than it used to be (49% vs 23%).
But these perceptions may be linked to some commonly believed myths about attention spans – and many of us still see significant positive impacts from technology and don't put all the blame on big tech:
- Half (50%) wrongly believe the average attention span among adults today is just eight seconds long.
- 51% say technology is ruining young people's attention – but a similar proportion (47%) think being easily distracted is more just a result of people's personality.
- 60% say having information at their fingertips helps them find solutions to problems at work and in their lives.
/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.
