BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Summer marks the end of a grueling school semester, and many children are excited to spend more time with the people they care about — and even older Americans often use the season to get together with close or distant relatives. Unfortunately, though, the rising cost of travel and abundance of […]
BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Summer marks the end of a grueling school semester, and many children are excited to spend more time with the people they care about — and even older Americans often use the season to get together with close or distant relatives. Unfortunately, though, the rising cost of travel and abundance of schedules to juggle often means that families across the US aren’t spending as much quality time together as they would like. As a new study shows, however, this is not necessarily the case in many states… especially North Dakota.
As part of a study to determine how much quality time American families spend with one another, Backyard Oasis recently surveyed 3,000 from around the country. Through this poll, it was discovered that families from North Dakota spend the most amount of quality time together in the nation, at roughly eight hours and 30 minutes every week compared to the national average (six hours and 17 minutes). This is a stark contrast to West Virginia, the lowest-rated state, which averaged only four hours and 30 minutes of family interaction per seven-day period.
Such an over-the-top amount, naturally, leads to the question of what families like to do on the rare occasions they are all able to get together. The topic also intrigued Backyard Oasis, who asked the polled groups how they often enjoyed their quality time. From these results, it was determined that most North Dakotans (41%) prefer to bond by watching TV or movies with their loved ones — with other high-ranking activities including board and video games (17%), traveling or taking day trips (15%), outdoor activities (13%), and cooking or baking together (13%).
In many cases, the main problem with arranging any meeting between people is scheduling and organization — and as the study notes, this is exactly the same with families, with 49% of all survey respondents noting that planning trips tended to be more difficult than anything else. Other troublesome tasks included setting up a simple meal or arranging family outings to sports games, which were referred to as incredibly difficult by 15% and 14% of survey respondents respectively.
When asked about the use of electronic devices during periods of family time, 12% of survey respondents stated that phones are always welcome at the dinner table, while 5% said they were banned altogether. The vast majority of polled families were rather mixed on the topic, with 67% saying they are sometimes permitted depending on the situation.
“Family time is a cornerstone of happiness and well-being,” says Backyard Oasis spokesperson Andy Wu. “Despite modern-day challenges, the good news is that families are spending nearly two hours more together each week compared to a few years ago, which is a positive trend. We hope these insights encourage more families to prioritize and cherish their time together, creating lasting memories and stronger bonds.”
To view the full study — including a detailed infographic showing how much quality time families spend together in each state — visit this page on Backyard Oasis’ website.