Are location-based services like Foursquare and Gowalla just a short-lived fad – or have they simply not yet reached their potential? A new report indicates, that despite an over abundance of online media coverage, only 4 percent of online adults use such services.

The percentage of users checking in with a location-based service increases to 7 percent when users go online with their mobile phone, according to the report. But only 6 percent of individuals who use social networking sites also use location-based services.

Two demographic pieces of information are interesting: (1) For the 18-29 age group, usage of location-based services is 8 percent, significantly more than any other adult age group. (2) Usage of location-based services by online Hispanics is 10 percent, significantly more than usage by online blacks (5 percent) and online whites (3 percent).

The report is based on the results of a telephone survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project between August 9 and September 13, 2010 with 3,000 adults age 18 or older. Pew is a nonpartisan, non-profit research organization that is well respected for its research into the social implications of the Internet.

Researcher: Ashley
Source: www.hotelmarketing.com