We are a research team from the University of Amsterdam studying repair behavior and experiences with everyday items (including smartphones). We aim to understand the relationship between reducing consumption and personal well-being, and we are particularly interested in Fairphone users. This study is approved by the University of Amsterdam’s ethics committee (EB-18577) and is one part of my PhD research.
The survey takes less than 3 minutes to complete, and all responses are anonymous. As a small thank you, participants can enter a raffle for a chance to win one of two €25 Visa gift cards.
Legal/researcher information, consent, and protocols (project info) are on the first page of the survey. If you choose not to finish the survey, your survey information will not be recorded. If you have any questions or comments, please post them here or email me (my email addresses is on the first page of the survey).
Hello Maddy
Thank you for sharing your research.
I started filling in the form and stumbled upon the question on Reddit subs. I am not able to leave them blank - is it a glitch?
I’ve completed the survey as well as I can. I found the questions about attachment to possessions difficult to answer as I am attached to/careful of some possessions, but unattached to and careless of others. In the end I chose to read this as ‘valuable possessions’ including ‘possessions with sentimental value’. For example, most of my mugs are things I could break, lose or give away without much thought, but I have one mug that my sister gave me when I left home to go to college 50 years ago, and when I broke it, I still kept the pieces. (I plan to repair it eventually.)
In respect of possessions with what is for me a high monetary value - like my Fairphone: I am careful of my Fairphone because of its value as well as because I use it daily and store so much information on it. I bought my first Fairphone (F3+) in 2018 and only replaced it this year (with an F6) because it stopped functioning as a phone when my provider stopped supporting the 2G + 3G nets in Sweden. The F3+ still works over WiFi and as a camera, so I’ve been reluctant to send it back to the manufacturers for credit.
Survey completed! I’ve only had my fp6 for a matter of weeks. Its been on my radar for sometime, but I’d been waiting for my previous phone to become unusable before replacing (it was 10yrs old!)
Thanks for the correction. I submitted my answers again.
Let me add it was a big relief to finally see a survey like this being brought up here that came with proper scientific credentials! Thank you! Not sure if you followed this forum before creating your account – there have been numerous invitations to participate in university surveys or research projects before. Frequently these were lacking serious credentials altogether, did not even request basic sociographic information from participants and in one case even outright refused to give the university or school’s name, not to mention university personnel linked with the project (“it’s a private school, so that information cannot be disclosed” … ).
But enough of complaining about the past and others … I have used my FP1U from July 2014 to March 2021 when I switched to my current FP3+
I’ve had my Fairphone 3 for six and a half years. I’ve had to take it apart a few times to clean it or adjust the parts, but I’m really happy and proud to have used it for so long.
I’m a bit of a tech geek, and partly thanks to it (and this community) I’ve learnt to value extending the life of products as much as possible and to control my urge to always experiment with the latest gadgets .
I’d also love to know the conclusions of your study!
I received my Fairphone 1 in January 2014, in January 2016 it went to my partner and from 2019 it’s still in use for WorldWideGrid (Boinc). So it’s already 12 years old and running.
My Fairphone 2 came in January 2016. It went my partner in 2020. In 2022 it had problems and it became a backup phone till 2024
My Fairphone 3 came in December 2019, it went to my partner in February 2022. It’s now running on /e/os.
My Fairphone 4 came in February 2022 and it’s still in use by me as backup phone.
My Fairphone 5 came in October 2023 and is in use by me as my daily phone.
I have no Fairphone 6 because I have no need for a new phone.
Before that, I gave another one to my wife, as her phone had a broken speaker, which could be replaced without damaging other parts.
Due to her bad experience with the repairs, I’ve searched forba phone which could be repaired easily, and lasted more.
Off course Fairphone was the natural choice.
And due to her very positive experience, I then replaced my 4 year old Oneplus, which needed a battery replacement, and was already out of software support.
One more comment:
I for my part expressed a slightly hesitant attitude towards “appreciating” the devices I own, but not because I would not care about their value or longevity, but because I am a bit sceptical about “personifying” things and especially electronic devices (which in my ears “appreciating” a device sounds a tiny bit like, too). In other words: my phone’s name isn’t Rupert nor Geronimo nor Tracy – it’s just Fairphone 3+
Not sure if you followed this forum before creating your account – there have been numerous invitations to participate in university surveys or research projects before. Frequently these were lacking serious credentials altogether, did not even request basic sociographic information from participants and in one case even outright refused to give the university or school’s name, not to mention university personnel linked with the project (“it’s a private school, so that information cannot be disclosed” … 
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