As we published last month, people are in the midst of making a Mobile Mind Shift:

The expectation that any desired information or service is available, on any appropriate device, in context, at your moment of need.

Our research on the Mobile Mind Shift and our global surveys allow us to examine in detail how attitudes and behaviors are shifting around the world. While the shift is undeniable and is rapidly accelerating, the regional variations are fascinating.

In a speech today at the Forrester Marketing Leadership Forum EMEA, I revealed that Europeans are, in general, behind Americans on the Mobile Mind Shift. Here's a slide from that speech, showing the spread between Europe and the US:

US Europe spread
 

As you can see, Europeans differ from Americans on all three components of the Mobile Mind Shift: the number of connected devices, the frequency of access, and the diversity of locations in which connections occur. While Europeans actually have more connected devices, they connect significantly less frequently and in fewer locations. This appears to be a result of the data plans on European mobile devices, plans that interfere with users' natural desire to access mobile everywhere as a matter of habit.

In data released at the event, we also showed variation by country. Germany actually has the lowest Mobile Mind Shift Index, at 22.5. At the other end, Sweden has an MMSI of 29.0, a higher average than the US.

Europeans have just as much desire for mobile utility as people in other geographies. The data suggests that this desire will lead to more expansive data plans, reducing the friction that's interfering with European's Mobile Mind Shift. Within six months, we expect European attitudes to catch up to where Americans are right now.