Smartphone penetration continues to rise in the United States with about 46 percent of the country's adults are now smartphone owners, according to new survey results published on Thursday.

The survey, by the Pew Research Center, showed that percentage of smartphone owners among U.S. adults had increased 11 points over that in May of last year, when 35 percent of adults in the country owned a smartphone.

It also found that 41 percent of U.S. adults now own a cell phone that is not a smartphone, meaning that smartphone owners have been more prevalent within the overall population than owners of more basic mobile phones.

The survey was conducted between January and February this year among a sample of 2,253 U.S. adults.

While nearly every major demographic group experienced a notable increase in smartphone penetration, adoption levels are the highest among certain age groups such as colleague graduates with the percentage of ownership reaching 60 percent or more.

In comparison, just 13 percent of those ages 65 and older now own a smartphone, far below the national average of 46 percent, according to the survey.