Be honest… when your phone lights up with a random number, do you:
A) Answer it like a responsible adult
B) Let it ring and Google the number
C) Stare at it until it stops and hope they text instead
If you picked B or C, you’re not alone 😬
A new poll asked, “How frequently do you answer phone calls from numbers you don’t recognize?”
And a whopping 42% said NEVER.
Not sometimes. Not rarely. NEVER. 🚫📞
Another 34% said “rarely”17% said “sometimes” And just 5% said “always.”
So basically, if you’re calling from a number someone doesn’t have saved… good luck.
🤖 Blame the Spam Callers
We can thank telemarketers and scam calls for this mess. They’ve annoyed us so much that now nobody answers ANY unknown number — including legit calls.
Doctor’s office? Job interview? Pizza delivery driver lost outside? 🍕
Straight to voicemail.
👵 It’s NOT Just Grandma
You might assume older folks are the ones picking up every mystery call… but nope.
Older adults are actually the least likely to answer unknown numbers. So they are listening to all those scam warnings 👏
Surprisingly, Gen Z is the most likely to pick up, followed by Millennials. That might be because they’re more likely to expect calls from people outside their immediate circle — job recruiters, gig work, side hustles, etc.
📊 The Calls Aren’t Slowing Down
And here’s the real problem…
- 43% say they get unknown-number calls every single day 😩
- 25% get them a few times a week
- Somehow 10% only get them once a month or less (teach us your ways)
Even worse, 53% say these calls have INCREASED over the past five years. Only 14% say they’ve managed to get them to decrease.
Seriously… if you’re part of that 14%, please share your secrets.
Until then, we’ll all just keep screening calls like amateur FBI agents 🕵️♂️📱
And if you’re trying to reach someone today? You might want to text first.