Consumer survey: second-hand smartphone use

This dataset contains responses from an online consumer survey conducted via Amazon Mechanical Turk in the United States (108 participants after data cleaning). The survey asked about previously owned mobile phones (including smartphones) that were originally obtained in used condition. The goal was to estimate the second-hand device use time and the final fate after ownership. Only devices no longer in possession were included, ensuring that any hibernation (inactive storage) period had already ended.

Fates were grouped into:
• SH — reused again as second-hand devices
• A — transferred to market agents (donation, trade-in, store returns)
• EoL — discarded into end-of-life waste streams
• Other — no clear response

Devices classified as “Other” were assumed to end up in EoL. Devices going to market agents were assumed to have a 50% chance of refurbishment. Therefore, all outcomes were ultimately allocated into: another reuse (SH) or End-of-Life (EoL).

Survey fields include: device acquisition year, ownership time (months), hibernation time (months), disposal route, and substitution behaviour (expected extra use of a new phone if second-hand was unavailable). The dataset also contains derived indicators: total lifetime in use (LT, years), hibernation time (HT, years), and additional use of a new phone (Extra, years).

Data columns:
Timestamp
In which year did you obtain that device?
How did you obtain that device?
Where did you obtain that device?
What did you do with the device when you disposed of it?
For how long did you own the device in total? (months)
Did you store that device without actual use for more than a month before you disposed of it?
For how long did you store it without use prior to disposal? (months; enter 0 if always in use)
What do you expect — for how many extra months would you use the alternative new phone? (answered only if the respondent would buy a new phone and use it for longer)

Columns estimated after the survey:
LT (years)
HT (years)
Extra (years)

This dataset accompanies the study: Amatuni et al., Leiden University.