Hiya's State of the Call 2026 report is built on a Censuswide survey of more than 12,000 consumers in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany and Spain, about 2,000 per country, run between December 17, 2025 and January 2, 2026. Asked what they do when a number they do not recognize calls, 14 percent said they answer immediately. 28 percent reject the call. 41 percent ignore it and see whether the caller leaves a voicemail. 13 percent search the number while it rings.
- Answer an unknown number immediately: 14 percent
- Reject it: 28 percent
- Ignore it and wait for a voicemail: 41 percent
- Search the number while it rings: 13 percent
Six countries are pooled, the behavior is self-reported, and Hiya sells caller identification, which this finding helps. The report says nothing about calls to a business going unanswered, and neither does this note.
What it does say: the callback is a weak second chance. A homeowner who reached your voicemail and then sees an unfamiliar number calling back is, by their own account, more likely to reject it or wait for a message than to answer. The first call, the one the homeowner placed, is the conversation. Everything after it is a message left on a phone that may not be picked up.
What ProxMedia does about it: the first call answered, the visit booked on that call, and a summary to you so no callback is needed.
Source: Hiya, State of the Call 2026 (Censuswide survey of 12,000+ consumers in six countries, December 17, 2025 to January 2, 2026).