Millennials vs. Gen Xers: A Time Use Study

How is daily time use different for today's younger adults versus those a generation ago? That is the question posed by Bureau of Labor Statistics' economist Michelle Freeman in the Monthly Labor Review. Analyzing data from the American Time Use Survey, Freeman compares the time use of Gen Xers in 2003, when they were aged 23 to 38, with the time use of Millennials aged 23 to 38 in 2019. 

Some things have not changed. Work, for example, took up just as much time on an average day for Millennials in 2019 as it did for Gen Xers in 2003. On an average day, 56 percent of Millennials and 55 percent of Gen Xers worked. On days worked, both Millennials and Gen Xers logged an average of 7.7 hours of labor. 

Some things changed in ways you might expect. Millennials in 2019 spent less time than Gen Xers did in 2003 caring for and helping household members. "This difference between the generations is driven by a decline in the share of women who spent time providing childcare—47 percent of millennial women spent time caring for household children on an average day, compared with 55 percent of Generation X women," Freeman explains. The reason for this difference: Millennials are less likely to live in households with children because of delayed marriage and childbearing. 

Here's another "makes sense" kind of change: Millennial men spend more time than Gen X men did playing games. Millennial men spend an average of 28 minutes a day playing video games versus the 10 minutes Gen X men devoted to the activity. "This increase in the time men spent playing games across generations mirrors the growth observed in the video gaming industry over time," Freeman notes. 

Some of the differences in time use are unexpected, such as the fact that Millennials are significantly more likely to care for animals and pets on an average day. In 2003, only 10 percent of Gen Xers cared for pets on an average day. In 2019, a larger 17 percent of Millennials cared for pets. The Millennial penchant for pets is one reason why overall pet spending soared in the past two decades. Households headed by 25-to-34-year-olds in 2003 spent $239 annually on pets, reports Freeman ($332 in 2019 dollars). Households headed by 25-to-34-year-olds in 2019 spent a much larger $522 on pets—a 57 percent increase, after adjusting for inflation. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Time Use of Millennials and Generation X: Differences Across Time

Changes in Time Use during the Pandemic

How much did your life change in 2020? Probably a great deal. Maybe you worked from home instead of going to the office, your commute time dropped to zero, and you devoted much more time to supervising your children. Now we have the numbers in hand—time use data for 2020—and you can see whether the pandemic changed your life more or less than the life of the average American.

Of course, the 2020 data are not perfect. The Bureau of Labor Statistics had to suspend American Time Use Survey data collection during the early months of the pandemic—from mid-March to mid-May. Consequently, the BLS says it cannot produce annual estimates for 2020. But it has released estimates for the time period from May 10 through December 31. The report released today compares the 2020 averages for the May through December time period with the averages for the same time period in 2019. Here is how time use changed for the average person...

• Waking time spent at home increased from 7.62 hours per day in 2019 to 9.71 hours per day in 2020 as more worked from home and social activities were curtailed due to the pandemic. 
• Waking time spent alone increased from 6.06 hours per day in 2019 to 7.01 hours per day in 2020 because of the need for social distancing. The biggest increase in alone time occurred among 15-to-19-year-olds, rising from 4.28 hours a day in 2019 to 6.00 hours in 2020.
• Time spent watching television as a primary activity climbed from 2.74 hours per day in 2019 to 3.05 hours per day in 2020. The biggest increase in television time occurred among people aged 75 or older, rising from 4.52 hours per day in 2019 to 5.20 hours in 2020. 
• Time spent traveling (including commuting) fell from 1.22 hours per day in 2019 to 0.79 hours per day in 2020. 
• Among adults living in households with children under age 18, time spent caring for children as a primary activity (meaning the main activity) increased modestly from 1.18 hours per day in 2019 to 1.27 hours per day in 2020. 
• Among adults living in household with children under age 13, time spent caring for children as a secondary activity (while the adult was doing something else, such as working) grew from 5.07 hours per day in 2019 to 6.06 hours per day in 2020. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey