^TM

Would You Rather Take a Trip or Watch TV?

Leisure Time Distortion:  Study Reveals Americans Put Work First, TV Second, Family third in Order of Time Priorities

Have you ever thought that if it weren’t for work and to-do lists, you’d have plenty of personal time?  If so, the Hilton Family Leisure Time Advocacy™ Study places you among the majority of Americans.   In fact, the study revealed that most people feel pressured by a world where work dictates the pace and the quality of their lives, and where there is never enough free time. 

To raise awareness of America’s fleeting leisure time, the Hilton Family of Hotels, including Hilton®, Conrad®, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations Club® and Homewood Suites by Hilton®, has created the Leisure Time Advocacy (LTA) initiative.  Supported by a board of 12 academics, sociologists, medical professionals, authors, and leisure experts, LTA is addressing the serious issue of leisure time deficiency head-on and providing new solutions for bringing balance back into our lives.

The insight learned from both the new Hilton Family of Hotels study and the LTA board has inspired the launch of a leisure-time advocacy initiative and a new leisure Web site – MyLeisureTrip.comTM,

“With a healthier balance between work and play, people are actually more productive while on the job, which enables them to put in more quality work time in less hours, leaving more time for leisure,” said Tom Keltner, president, brand performance and franchise development group for Hilton Hotels Corporation.  “We are working closely with our expert Leisure Time Advocacy Board members to advocate leisure time in general as an antidote to stress, offer helpful time-usage tips, and provide a plethora of leisure-time and leisure-travel solutions, whether it’s a five-minute mental break or a five-day vacation break.”

The LTA study revealed that about a third of those polled (32 percent) say they postpone fun because they feel guilty when they are not doing something they believe is productive.  Yet seven out of 10 say they simply need more fun in their lives.

“Sometimes it’s a unique event over a weekend or a longer, exotic getaway that jars consumers out of their worker-bee habits, which is just the solution being offered by the Hilton Family of Hotels through its newly launched MyLeisureTrip.com leisure site, chock-full of easily accessed leisure events and activities within the U.S. and Canada,” Keltner continued.   “While the Hilton Family of Hotels attracts more than its fair share of the existing leisure travel market, we know that there is tremendous potential for stimulating even more leisure travel particularly during the more traditional periods of weekends, holidays and summer.”

Live to Work

The bravado work mentality, while a staple of American society, leaves only one in 10 of us (14 percent) believing we have our priorities correct as a culture; on a personal level, one in three (34 percent) feel we live to work rather than work to live.

Three-fourths (74 percent) think that as a culture we place a higher value on our success in the workplace than our success at home; one-third (34 percent of us) believe we have our priorities decidedly in the wrong place.

The country is split as to whether the American work ethic of hard work and long hours has had a positive or negative effect on our culture. About one-third (33 and 31 percent, respectively) vote for each effect.

At the end of our chore-filled weekends, only two out of 10 Americans (23 percent) say they are energized and ready for the workweek ahead. The remainder report being in a negative state at the beginning of the week  - already tired, stressed or apprehensive – or simply on “autopilot.”

If we had it to do over again, only 15 percent of us would work harder, compared to 40 percent who would spend more time enjoying our leisure time.

Stressed but Happy?

With the pressures of daily life, it’s no wonder then that eight out of 10 Americans report medium to high stress at work and six out of 10 feel these same levels at home. Nearly half (46 percent) of Americans say their stress level is higher today than it was five years ago.

Despite the high-strung scenario, nine out of 10 Americans say they are happy, with more than half of us (53 percent) reporting we are very or extremely happy. 

Quality Time… With the Television

Americans have twice as much leisure time as we think we do, according to the Hilton Family Leisure Time Advocacy Study.  Alas, the study also found that Americans currently are spending as much time each day with the television as they are with their families and friends.

Despite the magnetic pull of the TV, the majority of Americans (73 percent) recognize spending time relaxing with friends and family is among the best investments of time. Pursuing hobbies was declared the second best use of time.

Americans wish they had about one extra day of leisure time each week.  With the extra time, Americans say they’d like to spend more time with their families.

Vacation Hesitation?  Why Wait?

The Hilton Family Leisure Time Advocacy Study found that guilt, time and money are the main reasons for putting vacations and leisure time on the back burner.  While seven out of 10 Americans (69 percent) feel they need a vacation right now, only half (55 percent) will take all the vacation days they are entitled to each year.

More information about LTA, the Hilton Family Leisure Time Advocacy Study, and the LTA board, can be found at www.MyLeisureTrip.com.

Edited by Madelyn Miller

Back to TravelLady Magazine