ATLANTA-As part of its Be Sensible program, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. released a consumer survey showing regional differences in what is considered proper and courteous use of cellular phones in public areas.
The telephone survey, which was conducted by V&L Research & Consulting Inc., found that Southerners are most likely to disable their ringers when entering a church, while Westerners are most likely to turn off their ringers before entering libraries, theaters, restaurants and schools. Midwesterners are most likely to silence their ringers when going into retail stores, while New Yorkers disable their ringers most in libraries and hospitals.
Overall, the survey noted people are most likely to silence their cell phones in church and least likely to do so in retail stores.
“It’s just common sense to show respect to others in places of worship or where we gather for music and movies,” said Mark Feidler, chief operating officer at Cingular. “A retail store is a busy place where people are having public conversations.”
The survey also found that residents in Chicago; Detroit; Indianapolis; Columbus, Ohio; Milwaukee; and Cleveland are least likely to answer their cell phones while having face-to-face conversations with friends or relatives; while cellular users in Phoenix; Denver; Tucson, Ariz.; Las Vegas; Albuquerque, N.M.; Mesa, Ariz.; and Colorado Springs, Colo., are more likely to not answer their cell phones while having face-to-face conversations with business associates.
In addition, the survey showed nearly one-third of cell-phone users feel they are not at all likely to speak louder when on cell phones, while 41.9 percent said they move to designated areas when receiving calls in public places.
