It Appears U.S. Residents are Spending Less Time Out of Home Since 2003

Perhaps “return to office” policies will make a big impact, but there is some evidence U.S. residents are spending less time out of home, with some studies suggesting people are spending about an hour a day less outside the home. 

Some of us tend to think it is a lingering after effect of the Covid pandemic. But it seems that trend started long before the Covid pandemic. 

In fact, “time out of home” has been falling since at least 2003. Most of us would suspect that the internet and internet-enabled product substitutes are contributing directly, allowing us to accomplish some life pursuits or tasks online, without having to leave our homes. 

source: Taylor and Francis 

Shopping on Amazon eliminates a trip to a retail outlet. And we use food and retail delivery services as well. Videoconferencing might eliminate an office visit. 

And while not every job is conducive to “work from home,” lots of us have spent a good portion of our work lives in remote offices and were home-based, because our work allowed it, outcomes were easily quantifiable, internet apps enabled it and industry culture supported it.  

The social impacts might be just as important, such as loneliness that now seems to know no generational bounds. 

To some extent, the data could also reflect, to some degree, any age cohort effects that have higher representation or lower representation of age cohorts within the entire population, since people tend to spend the most time “out of home” between the ages of 13 and 49. 

Age Cohort	Typical Time Out of Home	Common Activities Outside Home	Factors Affecting Time Out
0-5 years	Low	Daycare, playground, family outings	Parental supervision, daycare enrollment
6-12 years	Moderate	School, sports, after-school activities	School hours, parental rules
13-18 years	High	School, extracurriculars, socializing	Independence, school commitments
19-29 years	Very High	College, work, social life, travel	Education, career, social freedom
30-49 years	High	Work, errands, parenting responsibilities	Career, family obligations
50-64 years	Moderate	Work, leisure, travel, hobbies	Nearing retirement, fewer obligations
65+ years	Low to Moderate	Leisure, healthcare visits, social events	Health, retirement, personal interests