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60 percent of the world has mobile phones

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According to a new United Nations (UN) report, about 60 percent of the world's citizens now own a mobile phone The report states the large jump up is attributable to the strong growth in poor, developing countries, most notably China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

In 2002, only 14 percent of the world's population had any type of mobile phone.

According to the International Telecommunication Union, an agency of the UN, there were 4.1 billion cell phone subscriptions as of the end of 2008, compared with just over 1 billion in 2002.

The report also added figures for Internet usage, noting that about 23 percent of the global population uses the Internet, up from over 12 percent from 2002.

Finally, the report ranked the world's nations on how "advanced their use of information and communications technology (ICT) is" and found Sweden to be the best. Sweden even had more cellular accounts than it had population in 2007. The United States fell to 17th.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/17151.cfm

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Big Changes in Tweens and Teens' Attitudes and Values over Two Decades

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The new survey for Girl Scouts of the USA was based on a nationwide sample of 3,263 students in grades 3 through 12 of whom 1,833 are in grades 7 through 12, who were surveyed using online and school-based interviews between October 2, 2008 and January 23, 2009 by Harris Interactive. Some of the findings include:

Smoking

Youth who feel that smoking "is OK" if the smoker "finds it enjoyable" has fallen from 27% to 18% since 1989.

Sex before marriage

Fewer tweens and teens now (44%) than in 1989 (53%) think that sex before marriage is "OK if a couple loves each other."

Suicide

Ten percent of youth think that "suicide is all right, because a person has a right to do whatever he wants to do with himself," virtually unchanged since the 1989 when 8% gave this response. While 10% is a small percentage, it represents millions of tweens and teens who could be at risk because they believe suicide is morally acceptable.

Gay and lesbian relations

Most tweens and teens (59%) now feel that "gay or lesbian relations are OK, if that is the person's choice." This is a huge increase since 1989, when only 31% believed that "homosexual relations are OK if that is the person's choice" (a slightly different question). Conversely only 30% of 7th -12th graders now believe that gay and lesbian relationships are never acceptable because it is unnatural compared to 56% who felt this way about homosexual relations twenty years ago. A similarly massive change was found in response to another question about how a friendship would be affected "if you discover . . . that a good friend ... of your own sex is involved in a gay or lesbian relationship." Twenty years ago, 40% said that the friendship would probably end; now only 14% say this. In 1989, only 12% felt that the "friendship would continue and not change at all." Now fully 48% feel this would happen.

Abortion

There has been a modest drop in the minority of tweens and teens (25%) who believe that "abortion is all right, if having the baby will change your life plans in a way that you will find hard to live." In 1989, 33% felt this way.

Environment

In a question not asked in 1989, most youth (78%) now believe that "everyone has to take care of the environment by doing things like recycling and using less electricity."

Diversity

Most 7th – 12th graders (59%) believe that "being around people from different racial or ethnic background is important to me." This question was not asked in 1989.

Drugs

Three-quarters (77%) of tweens and teens believe that "selling drugs is foolish because you might get caught," almost the same as the 80% who felt this way in 1989.

Differences between that attitudes of boys and girls.

On some of these questions – smoking, sex before marriage, suicide, selling drugs and taking care of the environment – there is virtually no difference between attitudes to teenage boys and girls. There are, however, some differences on other issues.

Gay and lesbian relations

Girls (59%) are much more likely than boys (38%) to believe that their friendship would not change if they discovered that "a good friend of yours of the same sex is involved in a gay or lesbian relationship." Similarly girls (65%) are more likely than boys (54%) to believe that "gay or lesbian relations are OK if that is the person's choice."

Sex before marriage

Girls (41%) are somewhat more likely than boys (33%) to believe that "sex before marriage is never right because it is a sin."

Diversity

Girls (63%) are somewhat more likely than boys (55%) to believe that "being around people from different racial or ethnic background is important to me."

Differences by age

On some of these issues there are big differences between younger and older youth:

Smoking

Those who believe "it is OK" to smoke "if a person finds it enjoyable" increases from only 11% of those aged 11-12 to 26% of those aged 16-17.

Sex before marriage

Only a quarter (25%) of those aged 11-12 but a 58% majority of those aged 16-17 believe "sex before marriage is OK if a couple loves each other."

Abortion

Those who believe that "abortion is all right, if having a baby will change your life plans" increases from only 18% of those aged 11-12 to 31% of those aged 16-17.

Gay and lesbian relations

Those who believe that a friendship would not change if they discovered that a friend was gay or lesbian increases from 33% of those aged 11-12 to a 55% majority of those aged 16-17.

Source: http://news.harrisinteractive.com/profiles/investor/ResLibraryView.asp?ResLibraryID=36214&GoTopage=1&Category=1777&BzID=1963&t=30