National Survey: Bank Customers Use Mobile Apps More Than Any Other Channel to Manage Their Accounts

For the fourth year in a row, U.S. consumers are conducting their banking via mobile apps more often than any other method, according to a new survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Bankers Association. The national survey found that consumers continue to embrace digital banking channels, with 48% of bank customers using apps on phones or other mobile devices as their top option for managing their bank account and 23% using online banking via laptop or PC the most in the past 12 months. The next most popular banking methods include visiting a branch (9%), ATMs (8%) and telephone calls (5%).

“Mobile banking use accelerated during the pandemic and has only grown in the years since as people continue to enjoy the convenience of banking on the go,” said Brooke Ybarra, ABA’s senior vice president of innovation strategy. “While digital channels are used most frequently, and people clearly appreciate having their bank as close as their mobile phone, consumers continue to have a wide array of banking options to meet their needs. For those who prefer to conduct transactions in person, branch visits remain a widely available option.”

A breakdown of age demographics shows preferences vary among different generations. More than half of Generation Z (57%), Millennials (60%) and Generation X (52%) use mobile banking apps most often, while a plurality of Baby Boomers most often utilize online banking (39%). One in six Baby Boomers (16%) visit bank branches the most often, while only 4% of Gen Z and Millennials prefer to visit a branch. [See infographic for a full breakdown of top banking preferences by age].

ABA released an accompanying infographic highlighting the survey results. The data released today are the latest in a series of results gauging U.S. consumers’ preferences and opinions regarding banks and their services. ABA recently released additional survey data on credit union policy issues as well as data revealing that Americans are highly satisfied with their bank and competitive financial services marketplace, highly value overdraft protection and want Congress to allow banks to serve cannabis-related businesses. The full results for today’s survey questions are as follows:

When asked “In the past year, which method did you use most often to manage your bank account(s)?” consumers responded as follows: 

• Mobile (apps on smartphone or tablet) – 48%
• Internet/Online (Laptop or PC) – 23%
• Branches – 9%
• ATM – 8%
• Telephone (calls to your bank) – 5%
• Mail – 2%
• Don’t Know/no opinion – 5%

Age breakdown:

• Gen Z (1997-2012) 

• Mobile         — 57%
• Online         — 11%
• ATM            — 10%
• Telephone   — 9%
• Branches    — 4%
• Mail             — 2%

• Millennials (1981-1996) 

• Mobile         — 60%
• Online         — 14%
• ATM            — 9%
• Branches    — 4%
• Telephone   — 4%
• Mail             — 3%

• Gen X (1965-1980) 

• Mobile        — 52%
• Online        — 17%
• ATM           — 9%
• Branches   — 9%
• Telephone  — 6%
• Mail            — 2%

• Baby Boomers (1946-1964) 

• Online        — 39%
• Mobile        — 31%
• Branches    — 16%
• Telephone   — 5%
• ATM            — 5%
• Mail             — 1%

About the Survey

This poll was conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Bankers Association from September 20-22, 2023, among a national sample of 2,211 adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.