Snooping by romantic partners via email and cell phone is on the rise, according to a July 2011 Retrevo Gadgetology Report. Overall, 33% of respondents said they had checked the email or call history of someone they were dating without them knowing in 2011, up 43% from 23% in 2010.
Close to Half of Younger than 25 Have Snooped
Almost half (47%) of respondents younger than 25 have engaged in this type of electronic snooping, up 24% from 38% a year earlier. Thirty-five percent of women have surreptitiously researched a date’s email or call history, up 46% from 24% in 2010. And 30% of men have done so, a 36% increase from 22% in 2010.
Wives, Moms More Likely to Snoop
When it comes to snooping on a spouse/romantic partner or child, women have a decided edge compared to men. Forty-one percent of women admit to having checked the email/call history of a romantic partner or spouse, 28% higher than the 32% of men who have done so.
However, when it comes to snooping on children, the gap is much narrower, with women still leading men. Thirty-nine percent of moms have checked a child’s email/call history without them knowing, 8% more than the 36% of men who have snooped in this manner.
Other Findings
- 32% of overall respondents say they would secretly track a spouse/partner using an electronic device if they suspected wrongdoing. This includes 33% of women and 31% of men, giving women a 6% edge.
- Fifty-nine percent of overall parents say they would secretly track a child using an electronic device if they suspected wrongdoing. This includes 64% of mothers and 53% of fathers, making women 21% more likely to snoop on a child.
- Slightly more married couples snoop on their spouses (37%).
- The number of parents snooping is highest among parents of teenagers, with 60% snooping on their kids and possibly for good reason, as 14% of those parents reported finding something they were concerned about.
- Overall, adults are 84% more likely to secretly track a child than a spouse/partner. This differential is 94% for women and 71% for men.
1 in 3 Parents of Teens Snoop on Facebook
One in three (34%) of parents of children age 13-19 have used Facebook to learn more about the parents of their children’s friends, according to June 2011 data from Retrevo. This makes parents of teens the most likely of all parents of children younger than 20 to snoop on Facebook in this way, followed by parents of children age 6-12 (29%) and children age 0-5 (25%).
About the Data: The data for this report came from a study of online individuals conducted exclusively for Retrevo in June of 2011 by an independent panel. The sample size more than 1,000 distributed across gender, age, income and location in the United States.
