About 60 per cent Indians check connected devices while on vacation: Study

About 86 per cent people preferred to stay connected even while on a vacation. (Representational image) (Source: Thinkstock)

A study conducted by McAfee has revealed that close to 60 per cent Indians spend at least an hour on their connected devices to check email, social media, etc while on a vacation. The study “Digital Detox: Unwind, Relax and Unplug,” was aimed at understanding digital habits of users when on a vacation. The online survey included of 1,504 people in India, between 18-55 split evenly by gender, who use a connected device daily.

About 86 per cent people preferred to stay connected even while on a vacation in order to be reachable by firends, family at all times. “Vacations can be an ideal opportunity to take a break from connected devices, but most Indians are struggling to do so,” said Venkat Krishnapur, VP of Engineering and Managing Director at McAfee.

Though 83 per cent people admitted that unplugging from connected devices on vacation was a much better experience, more than half (52 per cent) Indians could not last a day without checking their mail. Coming to social media, almost 51 per cent people wanted to share posts while vacationing.

The study points our that more than 57 people felt anxiety over being unplugged, and only 40 percent were willing to leave their smartphone behind.

“Our study reveals, almost three in four Indians rely on unsecured Wi-Fi during their vacations to connect with family, friends, work and social media, increasing their exposure to prying cybercriminals.  To avoid being compromised, it becomes even more important for travelers to exercise caution and rely on technology to stay safe online across all devices,” Krishnapur added.

Those with children more readily agreed to stay unplugged as 80 per cent parents declared they would abstain from technology, compared to 74 per cent of people without children. Close to 68 per cent of parents allowed their children to use connected devices while traveling.