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Survey sheds light on how public views phone usage

WASHINGTON — Most know it’s not OK to look at a cellphone while driving, but a new survey sheds light on public opinion of cellphone use in other situations.

Sixty-five percent respondents in the survey, conducted for The Street, say it’s fine to use a phone while walking down the street. Twenty-eight percent say phone use is acceptable in a restaurant while out to eat with others.

But only 19 percent think it’s acceptable to use it for personal reasons during a work meeting.

Just 9 percent say it’s OK in a movie theater when attendees are supposed to be watching the main attraction. However, 26 percent think phone-checking in a theater is acceptable during the previews.

Also, the survey shows what one would suspect: that the youngest people surveyed — millennials — are the most easygoing about cellphone use in social situations.

The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Read more about the survey results on The Street’s website.

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