I’d say I’m hovering around the 60% mark.
I don’t answer calls from numbers I don’t recognise, unless it identifies someone I’m expecting a call from with the “maybe” thing. I don’t use my phone for work (often). I don’t call people to catch up, I’d rather IM. My mother or my best friend call and I ignore them more often than I probably should.
But really I just don’t like talking on the phone that much.
Close to 100% for known contacts.
Very close to 0% for unknown numbers.
Personal: 0% unless it is a call with a planned time.
Work: 0% unless it is an in-house number of my organization. Communication can occur via email, please and thank you.
Basically all of them.
A quick skim shows me that the only people who have called me this so far this year are:
- Doctor
- Dentist
- Sister
- Wife
- Close friend
I expect that this would be much the same for last year too.
I have no reason not to speak to any of these.
Must be nice not getting like 2-8 spam calls daily (no, that is not an exaggeration)
I’ve had the same number for 24 years now. I have only ever had a handful of spam calls in total over that time.
I probably get one a month or so on my work number.
I’ve found if you accidentally take a spam call it can be fun to string them along and waste their time for a good 30m if you’ve got time to kill, the humour is great but it also gets you blacklisted for a while and they stop calling
This is part of why I straight up do not trust most “reliable polls”, because tons of them are still conducted via phone, and in the era of constant spam and caller ID, most people younger than boomers just don’t answer unknown numbers, and also don’t even have, and in fact have never paid for, a landline. Not to mention, I still have a west coast area code, and I live on the east coast, and most of my friends have area codes from wherever they grew up, not where they live now, so targeting by area code is often nonsense.
I answer calls from saved numbers and my local hospital and that’s about it. Otherwise you can leave a message and I’ll decide on getting back to you
Family/close friends/doctors: 95% (I only don’t if I’m in the toilet, at the doctor, or etc).
Unknown/unsolicited: 0%. If it’s important, leave a message or fuck right off.
Nearly 98% of my calls come from that last group, though, so basically never.
My phone has been on silent permanently for the last 2 decades, so I miss 90% of calls. Only answer when it’s a known contact and I’m actively looking at my phone.
I pick up every call I’m aware of. Scammers, phishers, polls, and everything else. I love messing with people, and good luck with getting accurate poll results, I have a dice rolling app I use to answer the questions.
It’s even on a schedule for me now. The ‘TV company’ scam calls around 5pm to try me out, polling places seem to be weekend exclusives, and rarely I’ll get a noonish jingle from some other random organization.
About 40% of the scam calls automatically disconnect after 8 seconds, and the rest I get to play with.
Careful some calls might just be to collect your voice data for cloning. They’d call, record, and use your voice for malicious purposes like asking your relatives for money
I don’t think my early 20’s radio host voice will be of much use to them.
Have you tried explaining in your native language that you don’t speak that language? They love it.
Not yet, but I can do that later.
3%. Mom, dad, and girlfriend. Anyone else nah.
0%.
If I don’t recognize your number I’m not answering the phone. Unless, I specifically am waiting for a call, like from an archaic doctor’s office, or to get a verification of something. That is the only circumstance I will answer a unknown number from.
Even then, I use a voice answering service, that asks the person to identify themselves, and then I am told who is calling. So if that’s not filled in I still don’t answer.
Then, if they get to voicemail, and they don’t leave a voicemail message, they’re obviously spam… And I’m vindicated by not answering the phone
90% - If I recognize your phone number, I will answer the call if I’m not in a meeting. If you call multiple times in a row, I will leave the meeting to answer your call. But it better be an emergency or we’re going to have some feedback to go over…
Also, the people who call multiple times instead of texting and then calling, really really really really really need to stop doing that. If it’s an emergency call, text, call again. Because of the call I’m going to pay attention to what the text message says. So I can see oh it’s a f****** emergency. If you’re the kind of person who leaves a voicemail message, or text message, that just says call me back as soon as you can. F*** you. Learn how to communicate
I got my current number around 3 years go, and the vast majority - easily 95% - of calls I get are still real estate, political, or job search spam for the previous owner. It’s on permanent DND, but I’ll check the text log every day or two.
100% during work, 50% offwork depend on who they are. Tbh i wish i could not answer any phone call except friends and families.
5%.
100%. I don’t get any marketing or robocalls so it’s either family, someone from work, or someone from an appointment or delivery I have. At this point, I much rather speak with someone on the phone than sit around and text back and forth.
Pretty much never. Direct family only really.
Talking is for IRL, or actually urgent things. Everything else is a message or email.
Don’t ring me to discuss an email.
