Americans Plagued by Procrastination and Tech Is To Blame, Survey Finds

On average, Americans spend almost two and a half hours on social media daily.

AP/Paula Ulichney
App logos for Facebook and X on a mobile phone. AP/Paula Ulichney

Procrastination is a common habit among Americans, with 71 percent admitting to delaying tasks, according to a new survey.

The study, conducted by Talker Research for Daveā€™s Killer Bread, involved 2,000 American adults and highlighted various ways people procrastinate, such as watching TV and movies (50 percent), lying in bed (39 percent), or taking naps (29 percent), Talker reported. Despite the widespread habit, 76 percent of respondents confess to feeling guilty about their procrastination.

One of the most common distractions is scrolling through social media, with 42 percent of participants using it to avoid their to-do lists. On average, Americans spend almost two and a half hours on social media daily, though they aim to limit it to just under two hours. Furthermore, 10 percent of individuals spend between five and eight hours scrolling, and 18 percent donā€™t attempt to limit their screen time at all.

The survey found that half of Americans view their phone as an extension of themselves, only setting it aside for family dinners (50 percent), special events like birthdays or weddings (35 percent), or dates (22 percent). In addition to social media, procrastinators also play video games (22 percent) and call family and friends (19 percent) to avoid tasks. This reliance on phones is why 28 percent of respondents say their devices are the main reason they fail to accomplish their tasks.

ā€œTackling your to-do list isnā€™t always the most exciting part of the day, and with so many distractions, itā€™s easy to find ourselves procrastinating,ā€ the director of brand management for Daveā€™s Killer Bread, Jillian Cohn, said.


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