Average American only gets this much time a month to themselves

Miami Herald

09-06-2025

The average American would pay $2,521 for a day of peace and quiet - while parents would pay $1,147 more.
That's according to a new survey of 2,000 Americans (30% of whom are parents), which explored the importance of quality time to recharge and the barriers to getting enough of it.
Results showed the average respondent only gets 9.5 hours per month to themselves with the biggest barriers being family obligations (50%), work commitments (32%) and financial constraints (24%).
Social obligations (22%) and guilt for finally getting free time (13%) were also listed as reasons respondents don't get the alone time they crave.
A little over half of respondents (53%) said they need more alone time than they're currently getting. And the lengths respondents said they'll go to were surprising.
Nearly 38% of respondents admit to lying to a partner, friends or family in order to get some time to themselves.
The most common lie shared among participants was "I'm not feeling well" (54%), followed by "I have a lot of work to do" (40%), "I have a headache" (33%), "I have an appointment" (33%) and "My phone's about to die, so I can't talk" (32%).
The survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Apple Vacations, pinpointed the dollar amount people attribute to certain elements of relaxation and found the average parent polled values a lazy morning to themselves at $325.
It's no wonder then that people would be willing to pay an average of $339.8 for just one extra hour of sleep.
And the feeling extends to vacations, with 40% of respondents saying they've booked a trip specifically for peace and quiet.
"In a world where silence feels like a luxury, it's clear people aren't just craving quiet," said Dana Studebaker, Vice President of Marketing, Consumer Brands, Apple Vacations. "They're willing to invest in it. Everyone deserves moments that are truly their own."
How would respondents spend this precious, uninterrupted time alone?
One in six said they'd be happy doing anything as long as it wasn't a chore or obligation. And one in eight said they'd want to binge TV or movies (13%) or spend the day at the beach (12%).
Interestingly, two-thirds agreed (66%) that visiting family does not count as a restful vacation.
"When people are willing to spend hundreds - or even thousands - just for a little peace and quiet, it says a lot about how rare true rest has become," added Michael Lowery, Head of Global Consumer Brands, Apple Vacations. "Sometimes the most valuable thing you can give yourself is time without expectation."
Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans (18+ who traveled in the past 12 months); the survey was commissioned by Apple Vacations and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between April 22 - April 28, 2025.
We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:
Traditional online access panels - where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentiveProgrammatic - where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in
Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.
Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.
Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.
Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:
Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speedersOpen ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant textBots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify botsDuplicates: Survey software has "deduping" based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once
It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.
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