Time Use Survey: So Much Leisure Time, So Little to Do? - East Idaho News
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Time Use Survey: So Much Leisure Time, So Little to Do?

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GETTY 081814 clocktime?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1408374790232iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — As much as people gripe about not having enough spare time, the opposite appears to be true, if the American Time Use Survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is to be believed.

The survey, which only took into account people who are employed full-time, says the average work week encompasses 39 hours.

Meanwhile, 64 hours per week are spent on sleep and personal care.

Subtracting those numbers from 168 hours in a week presumably leaves about nine hours daily during which people can do what they please.

Okay, not exactly. The BLS says that there are other responsibilities that include looking after kids and the like, which cuts down actual leisure time to 26 hours weekly.

And if you are an average American, half of that time is spent watching TV. The other 13 hours, or a little less than two hours daily, is up to you.


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