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| Princess Cruises' survey shows that 23% of Americans have never had a relaxing vacation, and for those who have it has been an average of three years since their last escape. // (c) 2011 Princess Cruises. |
Princess Cruises commissioned a national survey for its second annual “Relaxation Report” to examine the relationship Americans share with vacations and the pursuit of leisure.
According to the results, three-quarters of Americans want to see National Relaxation Day (August 15) made into a national holiday, and are willing to trade in an established holiday such as Columbus or Labor Day. The results showed that 23 percent of Americans have never had a relaxing vacation, and for those who have it has been an average of three years since their last vacation. Seventy-four percent of the Americans who took part in the study reported their inability to relax frequently negatively affects their mental and physical health.
The report also revealed that, despite the current economic climate, 40 percent of Americans think finding time to relax is more difficult than living within their budget. Half of the surveyed Americans agreed that having a smart-phone by their side actually makes it harder to find time to take a break from work.
Additionally, three out of four American parents claim that they would feel guilty leaving their children behind while they embarked on a vacation, yet 54 percent of the parents polled stated that their perfect vacation would not include their children.
Nearly half of the Americans polled in the report claimed that a weeklong vacation is more likely to reduce their stress when compared to shorter, weekend trips. In 2010, the poll indicated that favored methods of relaxing included reading (25 percent) and getting up early (55 percent) while on vacation. The results of the 2011 poll were reversed, however, with enjoying a cocktail representing 24 percent of those polled while sleeping in represented 65 percent of the preferred ways to unwind while on vacation.
The Relaxation Report, commissioned by Princess Cruises, was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,005 nationally representative Americans ages 18+ between July 7th and July 13th, 2011, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population 18 and older.
For more information, visit www.princess.com.