Work, rest and pray: American daily habits revealed

Americans spend an average of eight hours and 44 minutes in bed but the country's teenagers read for only four minutes a day, a new survey has found.

The 2013 American Time Use Survey, produced by the federal government’s Bureau for Labour Statistics, provides a fascinating snapshot of the average day of those living in the United States.

It appears to bear out anecdotal reports that Americans work harder than their European counterparts – over a five-day period, those in employment worked an average of a 10-and-a-half-hours a day last year.

Men worked 53 minutes a day longer than women, on average.

The enviable amount of sleep apparently enjoyed by Americans is qualified by the fact that the statistics, which cover those aged 15 and above, include teenagers and pensioners, who often report as much as 10 hours a night spent dreaming.

The figure also covers non-sleep activities while in bed, such as reading or making love, and daytime naps.

Americans enjoyed five hours and 16 minutes of leisure, and spent an average of eight minutes a day in prayer, the study found.

When it comes to leisure, watching television was the most popular leisure activity by far, at two hours and 46 minutes. Just 20 minutes were reading, 39 minutes chatting with friends and family and only three attending social events.

Playing computer games and surfing the net took up 25 minutes and exercise just 19 minutes.

In perhaps the most alarming figure, teenagers spent an average of just four minutes a day reading a book. However, pensioners read for an average of an hour a day.

The statistics are also broken down by individual states, with those living in West Virginia spending the most time in front of the box, at three hours, 38 minutes and those in Utah the least – just over two hours.

Personal grooming took up 42 minutes a day, with those in the southern states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina spending the most time in front of the mirror while those living in Vermont had the least time for preening, at just 28 minutes a day.

Southerners were also far more likely to spend time at prayer than those in the north east.

The residents of Louisiana and Mississippi spent an average of 16 minutes a day on religious observance compared to just two minutes for people living in Rhode Island.

There were wide variations too in the amount of time spent on housework.

While nearly half of women reported doing chores around the house every day, the same was true for fewer than one-in-five men.

Overall, Americans spent an hour and 47 minutes a day on housework on average, with those living in North Dakota doing the most and Hawaii the least.

American Time Use Survey – statistics by state

1. Sleep

8 hrs 25 – Wisconsin

9 hrs 08 – Alabama and Mississippi

2. Personal grooming:

28 mins Vermont

45 mins Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina

3. Commute if working

29 mins Oregon, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota

63 mins New York, New Jersey

4. Work if employed (assuming 5-day week)

9 hrs 40 mins Maine

11 hrs 34 mins North Dakota

5. Housework

26 mins Hawaii

45 mins North Dakota

6. Religious activity

2 mins Rhode Island

16 mins Louisiana, Mississippi

7. Leisure activity

4 hrs 27 Utah

6 hrs 08 West Virginia

8. Of which TV watching

2 hrs 03 Utah

3 hrs 38 West Virginia

9. Book reading

12 mins Tennessee

29 mins North Dakota

10. Thinking and relaxing

10 mins Colorado

30 mins Louisiana