We're more attached to our mobile devices than ever, according to a new study that finds 36 per cent of Canadians spend more time with their cellphone each day than their significant other.

The Ipsos Reid poll of mobile device users explored the way Canadians use their mobile devices, how much they rely on them, and how those trends differ between men and women.

According to the results, 30 per cent of those surveyed said they sleep with their cellphone beside their bed.

"I think what the survey results are really picking up on is that people use these things extensively," Laurence Ashworth, a consumer psychology expert, told CTV's Canada AM.

"They are really attached to them and with that particular stat it was men more so than women who were really attached, and that's consistent with some of the other results from the study."

The survey found the following key results:

  • 30 per cent of those surveyed said they sleep with their cellphone beside their bed.
  • 30 per cent of Canadians admit to using their cellphone secretly in the bathroom.
  • 34 per cent would go through garbage to find a lost phone, while 20 per cent would fish it out of a toilet bowl.
  • 28 per cent said they wouldn't think of leaving their cellphone behind while on vacation and 25 per cent said the same for a weekend outing.

When the results were broken down separately for men and women respondents, some interesting trends began to emerge.

Overall, 66 per cent of Canadians said they would choose function over form when selecting a cellphone. Among men, that number climbed to 72 per cent saying they would choose function over form, when purchasing a device.

Among women, 60 per cent would choose function over form.

Ashworth said men are more focused on the functions of their mobile device while women are much more likely to base their decision on how the device feels and looks

"Men are doing more with these devices. They're downloading new applications, they're using it to do a greater range of things and they're really focused on the features," Ashworth said.

"Women are using ... these in a slightly different way, it serves an additional function, in part an aesthetic function. They like the way it looks, the way it feels, potentially the way it makes them look too could be part of it."

The study also found that 55 per cent of women are more likely to use their phone while in their car, compared to 49 per cent of men.

Overall, 52 per cent of Canadians said they are most likely to use their phone for personal reasons while in the car.

Men and women are equally likely to use their phone for talking and texting. But 19 per cent of men are likely to use it for organizational purposes, compared to only 13 per cent of women.

And 13 per cent of men are likely to use their mobile device for entertainment purposes compared to only eight per cent of women.

The Ipsos Reid survey was conducted from Oct. 9 to Oct. 13, 2008 on behalf of Windows Mobile.