A new report suggests that Americans love their smartphones so much, they’d sooner give up alcohol, chocolate, television, shopping and even their car than part with their iPhone or Android device. The report (PDF), commissioned by Bank of America, surveyed 1,000 adults in the United States. Roughly 85 percent of those surveyed checked their smartphone “at least a few times a day,” while 35 admitted that they did so constantly; only 13 percent said they “hardly ever” consulted their device. Click here for mobile developer jobs. When questioned further, Americans ranked their phone as more vital to their lives than their social networking profiles, coffee, microwave, television, laptop or PC, while rating it “just as important” as their deodorant or car. Fortunately, those surveyed ranked their toothbrush and the Internet as far more critical to their daily lives, because you need to draw the line somewhere. Still not fully convinced that Americans really like their smartphones? Around 45 percent of those surveyed said they’d give up alcohol before they gave up their mobile device; 34 percent said the same for chocolate; 22 percent would abandon shopping; 16 percent would chuck television and movies from their lives; and 8 percent would surrender their car. Bank of America commissioned the survey in order to find out more about how people use their smartphones in a banking context. Given the data, the bank probably doesn’t have to worry overmuch—it seems that Americans rely on their smartphones for pretty much everything.

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Image: Bank of America