A generation can’t tell time without a screen.
We stopped teaching the backup skills. If the internet goes down, so do the phone clock and the map app, and more and more people can’t read a clock face or a paper map.
Only 43% of Americans under 30 can instantly read an analog clock, compared with 95% of those 65 and older.1
Only 43% of Americans under 30 can instantly read an analog clock, compared with 95% of those 65 and older (YouGov).
The trend
More numbers
of U.S. adults rate themselves poor or terrible at getting around without GPS.2
Americans say they could not easily navigate their own city without GPS.3
of U.S. parents could not recall their child’s phone number in an emergency.4
“Forgetting becomes unhelpful when it involves losing information that we need to remember.”
Dr. Kathryn Mills, UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
The other side
Reading a clock face can be learned quickly, and digital tools are reliable most of the time.
of Americans rate themselves good or excellent at getting around without GPS. YouGov ↗
Why Anthony still holds this view
Self-ratings are generous, and the youngest adults are the least practiced.
For marketers
Don’t assume people have offline skills when you write instructions, design packaging or plan events. For younger audiences, analog experiences can feel new.
For you
Learn to read a clock face and a paper map, and teach someone who can’t.