Ownership of wearable devices has doubled since 2014, study finds - CNET

Your desire to shed a few pounds has helped fuel a doubling in ownership of wearable devices in the past two years, according to report released Thursday.

Since 2014, the adoption rate for wearable devices has grown from 21 percent to 49 percent, according to a survey released Thursday by business services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Of the survey's 1,000 respondents who said they owned at least one wearable device, 45 percent said they owned a fitness band compared with 27 percent who owned a smartwatch and 15 percent who owned smart glasses.

Confidence in wearable's health benefits is high: 70 percent said they expect to live 10 years longer as a result of wearables' use; 64 percent believe there will be fewer obesity-related problems; and 62 percent believe health care premiums will be reduced as a result.

The study also found that 49 percent believe that use of wearables increase workplace efficiency. But don't expect employees to pony up for the devices; more than two-thirds of consumers believe employers should pay for the device. Millennials were most likely to have this opinion (71 percent).