Survey: Half of people in Germany do not call back other people's cell phone numbers
Half of the people in Germany do not call back when they receive a call from an unfamiliar mobile phone number, according to a survey by comparison portal Verivox. This is based on a study by Verivox. Only 38.3 percent of people do not call back when the call comes from a landline, as Verivox reported.
In general, the landline plays a subordinate role again after the Corona high. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed stated that they usually make phone calls via mobile networks, while 20.5 percent prefer the landline. Twenty-two percent of respondents have no preferred method, and 10.2 percent use their mobile phones but make calls via data services such as FaceTime or WhatsApp. However, the situation is different for senior citizens and seniors, according to the data. Forty-four percent of those over 60 years old prefer the landline connection.
A quarter (25.3 percent) of all respondents trust a landline connection more than a mobile phone number, especially when dealing with service providers. On the other hand, 8.1 percent prefer to answer calls from mobile phone numbers because they assume a company behind landline numbers.
According to Verivox, the landline received significantly more attention during the Corona pandemic. Now it is being used significantly less. Currently, 70.6 percent of all phone calls are made via the landline, compared to 81 percent in 2022. The decline affects all areas and is not only noticeable among city dwellers or younger people, explained Verivox.
The market research institute Innofact conducted the survey on behalf of the comparison portal in May of this year, interviewing 1001 people between 18 and 79 years old online. The question about the frequency of use was asked to 2030 people of the same age group in July 2024.
Despite the decline in landline usage, a quarter of people in Germany still trust landline connections more than mobile phone numbers, especially when dealing with service providers. This preference is less common among those who receive calls from unfamiliar mobile phone numbers, as half of the population does not call back in such cases, according to Verivox's survey. Conversely, only less than four in ten people fail to return calls from landlines.
