Nearly half (49%) of Gen Z and Millennials polled say they pay for data storage.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Digital files tend to be ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for most of us. They take up no physical space, are easy to store, and are easy to accumulate without realizing it. According to a new nationwide survey, more than three-quarters (77%) of Americans admit to accumulating more data than they need and almost all (95%) say they have deleted unnecessary files at some point to keep their devices functional.
The Gen Z Solution
Nearly half (49%) of Gen Z and Millennials report paying for data storage, a habit far less common among Gen X and Boomers, which may suggest a trend of younger generations buying their way out of practicing good digital hygiene. Among members of Gen Z who pay for data storage, most are split between paying less $20 per month (48%) and between $20 and $39.99 (40%). However, about one-in-ten (11%) are paying $40 or more every month just for data storage.
Lifetime Costs of Data Hoarding
Paying $20 for a month for data storage may seem like a drop in the overall bucket but it can have huge lifetime costs if left unchecked. At a modest 3% inflation rate, a 25 year old member of Gen Z with an average data storage bill of $20 per month until they are 85 will spend nearly $40,000. This could be enough to purchase a car, fund part of a college degree, or, apparently, store thousands of selfies forever.
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Nationwide poll shows Americans surfing through a seas of digital dust bunnies
Research Publisher
Compass Datacenters: Compass Datacenters designs and constructs data centers for the world’s largest hyperscalers and cloud providers. Through prefabrication and applying modern manufacturing principles to construction, Compass delivers customizable, scalable, sustainable and low-cost data centers in an expedited time frame.
Methodology
A nationwide poll of n=1,000 Americans conducted between January 21st and February 5th, 2025. Note, exact methodology specifications are not provided in detail.
