United States: Time Use Survey

Every day we have just 24 hours to accomplish it all. And, every day we make hundreds of decisions to parse out those 24 hours. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics in its American Time Use Survey examines just how Americans divvy up their time with input gathered from over 180,000 interviewees aged 15 and older. The survey yields unique insight into"how, where, and with whom Americans spend their time”. Following are a few "how" highlights from the 2016 survey:

• In 2016, Americans spent an additional 11 minutes on average daily on “relaxation and leisure”, with TV viewing accounting for the largest gain, especially among male respondents. Men seeking jobs also reported spending about 50 minutes more per day job seeking than they did in 2003.
• American women added the most time to “personal/private activities”, however, only 0.5 percent of surveyed women indicated spending any time on this activity. The top 10 activities for women overall were unchanged between 2003 and 2016, with personal care, sleep, and leisure and sports accounting for the top three activities.
• A variety of other distinct, gender specific habits emerges from the data. American men reported working roughly 1.5 hours more per day in 2016 than American women and reported more time spent on sports, watching TV, and playing games. In contrast, women reported more time for sleep, personal grooming, and housework.