Where Did the Weekend Go?

• Position: Leisure time survey - Brief Article

Sixty-four percent of working-age Americans responding to a leisure-time survey say that, on Sunday night, they usually ask themselves "Where did the weekend go?" rather than feeling relaxed, rested, and ready for another week, as 33% do. This may be part of a general personal-time crunch. While 60% of working-age adults are satisfied with their leisure time, this number reflects a drop of 15% from 1963. Fifty-one percent note that they have two hours or less of personal leisure time per weekday, and 28% indicate that they have an hour or less.

These are among the major findings of the sixth edition of The Shell Poll, an opinion survey conducted for Shell Oil Company by Peter D. Hart Research Associates. More than 1,000 American adults were polled on a wide range of time-related issues including favorite leisure activities vacation dreams and habits, the weekend, and satisfaction with work and leisure time.

Nearly half of working-age Americans say they have no more than four hours of leisure time on a typical weekend day. In addition, 42% say their weekends are so busy that they don't seem like a real break. Americans are divided over whether they are able to do what they prefer on the weekend (54%) or whether their time is taken up with things they must do (41%). Of working mothers, 64% report that they do what they have to do on the weekends, rather than what they want to. For example. 98% spend...