Singapore consumers overwhelmingly agree that digital technology has positively impacted their lives, according to the State of Digital Lifestyles research report from Limelight Networks, a leading provider of edge cloud services. The survey of consumers in nine countries including Singapore shows that digital devices now play a larger role in their daily activities, but performance frustrations and security concerns remain.

Majority of Singaporeans are addicted to their mobile phone. The survey shows that 49 percent of Singapore consumers are not willing to give up the use of their mobile phone for even one day. Only 3 percent would give them up permanently.

Comparatively, while the adoption of smart home assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home is on the rise, Singapore consumers are not heavily reliant on the devices. 24 percent of Singapore consumers today own a smart home assistant, up 65 percent in the last year, but 63 percent of users would be willing to give them up for a week or more.

While smart home assistants promise to make Singapore consumers’ lives easier by providing easy access to information and automating routine tasks, they are also the most concerned about personal information being stolen. Privacy concerns about data collected by digital devices are highest in Singapore at 60 percent.

Additional insights from the report include:

• Digital technology has had a positive impact on society. A majority (78 percent) of Singapore consumers have indicated that online digital technology has improved their lives. Notably, over one-third (36 percent) of them feel online digital technology has made a significant improvement in their lives.

• Streaming services have redefined entertainment on-the-go. Streaming has become the most common way for Singaporeans to access digital media, with 47 percent choosing to stream music online rather than downloading. More than half (60 percent) prefer to stream movies and TV shows online rather than download or purchase physical copies, and 62 percent are downloading e-books rather than buying a physical copy.

• Internet-enabled security devices such as security cameras and doorbells are an increasingly popular way to keep homes safe. Ownership is higher in Singapore than any other country, with more than one-quarter (26 percent) currently using an internet-connected security device.

• Frustrations with digital content remain, but consumers are hopeful for 5G. The vast majority (93 percent) of Singapore consumers express frustrations when digital content takes too long to load, is disrupted by errors or stops playing. But more than 81 percent of Singaporeans expect 5G networking to eventually bring about faster download speeds. The local expectation is 10 percent higher than the global expectation of 72 percent.

The State of Digital Lifestyles report is based on responses from 4,500 consumers in Singapore, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States, aged 18 and older who had downloaded software or streamed online video or music during the last month.