How Much Time Do We spend At Home?

According to studies, Brits spend an average of 32 years of their lives at home. This statistic varies by location, however. People in rural areas spend an average of 36 years at home, while those in urban areas spend an average of just 29 years there.

There are many reasons for this discrepancy. Urbanites are more likely to rent than own their homes, and they are also more likely to move frequently. Renters typically spend less time in any one place than homeowners do. Additionally, people who live in cities have more opportunities for socializing and entertainment outside of their homes than those who live in rural areas do. Homeowners are also more like to spend money on features for their house than renters, for example, homeowners are far more likely to have a fully stocked home gym meaning several hours a week more spent in their homes instead of travelling to their local club. Post-pandemic, home gym providers like Factory Weights have yet to see a drop in sales after various lockdowns forced people to do more exercise at home. Because of this and a plethora of other reasons, people are spending more time at home than ever before.

Despite the differences between renters and homebuyers, there are some commonalities among all Brits when it comes to time spent at home. Regardless of location, we typically spend the majority of our twenties and thirties at home with our families, and we increasingly spend time away from home as we get older. The average Brit retires at around age 66, meaning that they spend only about 6 years of their retirement in their homes and many move abroad and become ex-pats in Spain or spend more time on holiday in Florida (a favourite among pensioners).

With more people now working from home in a post-pandemic world the figures above might change hugely over the next several decades. Businesses are becoming more and more versatile and have less need to rent vast commercial spaces that would soon become voids with the majority of skilled workers now preferring to work remotely for the majority of the time. Workers in forward-thinking industries like the digital marketing industry are likely to see more time at home as the years go by with agencies prioritising staff morale and employee happiness over expensive office space

So what does this mean for how we use our homes? For one, it’s clear that we should the most of the time we do spend at home – especially in our younger years. It’s also important to think about what we want our homes to do for us. Do we want them to be a place where we come to rest and relax after a long day? Or do we want them to be a place where we can entertain friends and family? Whatever our goals may be, it’s important to remember that our homes are an important part of our lives – more so than ever, and we should make sure they fit our needs accordingly.