Which technologies do Americans miss — and which are they glad to be rid of?

Vinyl record players are among the old technologies that former users are most likely to want back, while hardly anyone misses dial-up internet service, a new YouGov poll finds. Of Americans who once used a vinyl record player and no longer do, 42% say they miss it and want to use it again. Only 4% of Americans who no longer use a dial-up internet service say the same — and 81% say they are glad they no longer use it.

The survey asked about 41 technologies, and each respondent was asked about a random sample of 20 of them. For each technology, Americans were asked whether they currently use it, used it previously but not any more, or never used it. Our analysis focuses on technologies that many people used to use but no longer do — the 21 technologies where at least 70% of people who ever used them no longer use them. We also exclude virtual-reality headsets, which met that 70% threshold, but which are the only new technology of the 21.

People who said they had used a technology in the past but don't now were then asked how they feel about it: whether they miss it and want to use it again, miss it but don't want to use it again, or are glad they no longer use it.

Other old technologies that sizable shares of former users miss are digital cameras (36% of people who no longer use one miss it and want to use it again), CD players (29%), DVD players (29%), film cameras (28%), iPods or portable MP3 players (27%), handheld video game consoles (26%), and cassette tape players (23%).

At the other end are technologies that people who once used them don't want back. Only 5% of former floppy disk users and 4% of people who no longer use a dial-up internet service miss them and want to use them again, as do 9% of former pager or beeper users, 10% of former fax machine users, and 11% of former tape-based camcorder users.

Many Americans also say they don't miss old ways of making phone calls. Majorities of Americans who no longer use a rotary-dial telephone (57%), a pay phone (56%), or a cellphone other than a smartphone (56%) say they are glad they no longer do. Landline phones are a partial exception: 47% of Americans who no longer use one are glad, but 19% miss it and want it back.

Across all 41 technologies the survey asked about, 96% of Americans say they currently use a smartphone, 86% a television, 79% a home Wi-Fi router, and 70% a laptop computer. The older technologies are far less common: 2% say they currently use either a floppy disk, a pager or beeper, or a tape-based camcorder, 3% a rotary-dial telephone, and 5% either a dial-up internet service or a pay phone.

— Carl Bialik and David Montgomery contributed to this article

Methodology: The poll was conducted online among 2,144 U.S. adult citizens on two separate 2026 surveys from July 31 - August 2 and August 3 - 5. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, U.S. region, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent's most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 33% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 3 percentage points. Each technology was asked about of a random subsample, and the margin of error for those results is larger.

Image: Getty (Yana Iskayeva)

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