Australians, long known for having the ‘gift of the gab’ (good talkers) are changing their habits and becoming a nation of prolific ‘SMSers’, according to Telstra’s State of the Nation Report. The report, which canvased 1,201 Aussies in May, investigated the use of mobile phones in the country and exposed some very interesting ‘under the covers’ activity.

It found four in ten Australians send up to seven text messages a day, while one in three use texts to tell others about major events such as births or promotions. They also have no qualms about where they text, whether at the movies (34 per cent), in a business meeting (21 per cent), at a funeral, christening or wedding (15 per cent) or by themselves to ‘look busy’ (44 per cent).

Perhaps the most startling discovery in the report is that 25 per cent of Aussies have found out their partner was cheating by reading a text, while a further 20 per cent had accidentally sent a text meant for their partner or lover to somebody else!

Only in Australia would a report go as far as breaking down cheating habits by State with Queenslanders leading the pack at 27 per cent and New South Welshmen least likely to get caught at 17 per cent. This information alone will inevitably lead to ‘sledging’ between the two highly competitive communities. However, no statistics were offered on the level of interstate affairs!

(via Sydney Morning Herald) http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/aussie-texting-habits-can-lead-to-trouble-report-20090622-ctdr.html