Most Germans call smartphone use at the dinner table rude, survey finds

Nearly two-thirds of Germans consider it impolite when a dining companion checks their smartphone during a meal, according to a survey published this week by polling institute Civey on behalf of telecommunications company Vodafone. The poll, which surveyed roughly 2,500 people, points to the dinner table as one of the last digital-free zones many people still expect to be respected.

Of those questioned, 63 percent said they find it rude when someone picks up their phone while sharing a meal. Despite that widespread disapproval, the habit persists: one in six respondents, or 17 percent, admitted to reaching for their own phone at least occasionally during meals with others.

The irritation extends beyond the dinner table. Seventy-one percent of respondents said they consider it rude when a conversation partner checks their phone during a face-to-face talk. Fewer people, 9 percent, confessed to doing this themselves during personal conversations.

Cinema and theatre outings also drew criticism, though to a lesser degree. About a third of respondents, 34 percent, said they view it as impolite when a companion uses their phone during a film or stage performance. Only 6 percent admitted to occasionally checking their device in such settings, suggesting the behaviour, while frowned upon, remains relatively rare in practice.

Attitudes shift considerably in professional settings. Checking emails or messages during meetings or at the workplace appears to be largely tolerated, with only about one in five respondents, 21 percent, calling it rude. The same proportion, 21 percent, said they consider it impolite to use a phone in bed next to a partner in the evening, indicating that workplace habits and bedtime habits are judged with similar leniency compared with social situations such as meals or conversations.

A first date proved to be judged more harshly. Forty percent of those surveyed said reaching for a smartphone during an initial meeting with a romantic interest would be seen as rude. Despite the social risk, the behaviour appears uncommon, as only 2 percent of respondents said they would at least occasionally use their phone during a first date.

The survey also examined whether men and women differ in how they judge this kind of behaviour, and found the gap to be narrow across most situations. Slightly more women than men said they are bothered by phone use during meals and personal conversations. The pattern reversed in other settings: slightly more men than women said they are irritated when a partner or companion goes online while in bed or during a trip to the cinema or theatre.

The findings were released as part of ongoing research by Vodafone into how digital devices shape everyday social interactions, with Civey carrying out the fieldwork among a sample of around 2,500 participants. The survey did not specify the exact dates of fieldwork or provide a margin of error, though Civey surveys are typically weighted to be representative of the broader population by age, gender and region.

Taken together, the results suggest that attitudes toward smartphone use vary sharply depending on context. Behaviour that is broadly accepted in a meeting room or bedroom is far less tolerated at a dinner table, during a personal conversation or especially on a first date, where the stakes of appearing distracted or disinterested seem to weigh more heavily on how such actions are perceived.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels