THE METHOD
A diary has to add up
The ONS asks people to record their main activity in 10-minute slots across a full 24-hour day, one weekday and one weekend day. Every hour has to be accounted for.
Try it yourselfWHAT TIME DIARIES SHOW
Write it down,
don't guess.
Ask someone how many hours they work or spend on housework, and the answer is usually a guess.
Check a guess
24 HOURSit has to add up
Time-use researchers ask people to log a whole day instead, slot by slot, until it adds up to 24 hours. The diary figures often come out lower than the guesses, and they show where the day really goes.
At a glance
- Log the day, not the week
- Slots add up to 24
- Compare with your guess
- The way statisticians track time
5–10%
How far estimated work hours run above diaries
US and Belgian diary data showed employed people overestimate their work hours by 5 to 10 percent, with most of the gap coming from people who estimate long weeks.
WORK HOURS · MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
2 h 17 min
Average daily TV time, UK adults
Between 23 September and 1 October 2023, watching television took more of UK adults' day than anything except sleeping and working.
TELEVISION · ONS 2023
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Diaries trim
the working week.
One figure on how far work estimates run,
one on where UK free time goes.
ONS estimates are experimental statistics from the Online Time Use Survey. In autumn 2023, 3,659 completed diaries were weighted to represent how UK adults spend a week.
A QUICK GUESS CHECK
How far off
is the guess?
Pick something people are asked to estimate. The bar shows how far their guesses ran above what time diaries or records showed.
Figures from US time-use research reviewed in the Monthly Labor Review. Averages across many people, not a test of anyone's own memory.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Our guesses
run high.
Diaries pin time down to the slot.
Here is what they reveal.
FREE TIME
Television leads the evening
Apart from sleep and work, UK adults spent most time watching television: 2 hours and 17 minutes a day in autumn 2023, ahead of eating and getting ready.
See the numbers
HOUSEWORK
The biggest overestimate
In one US study, people's weekly housework estimates were well above their diary totals: men guessed 23 hours against 10 in the diary.
Check a guess
KEEP A DIARY LIKE THE ONS
Track a day,
the survey way.
You do not need an app. The national surveys use a simple diary, and you can borrow the method for a couple of days.
Pick two days
Choose one weekday and one weekend day, as the ONS study does. Weekends often look very different.
Log in 10-minute slots
Write down your main activity for each 10-minute slot. Note anything you did at the same time separately.
Make it add up to 24
Every slot must be filled, including sleep. That zero-sum rule is what keeps diaries honest.
Then compare
Before you start, guess your hours for work, chores and screens. Compare the guess with the diary at the end.
HOW THE UK DAY IS CHANGING
Free time
is shrinking.
UK adults spent an average of 3 hours and 39 minutes a day on entertainment, socialising and other free time in autumn 2023, down from 4 hours and 17 minutes in autumn 2020. Sleep and rest rose to 9 hours and 3 minutes a day.
Women spent an average of 3 hours and 37 minutes a day on unpaid work such as housework, care and volunteering, 54 minutes more than men. That gap has narrowed from 1 hour and 12 minutes in 2020.
Questions
Questions people ask
What is a time-use diary?
A record of everything you do across a full day, usually in short slots. The ONS asks people to record their main activity in 10-minute periods and up to five secondary activities in 5-minute periods.
Why not just ask people how long they spend?
Estimating hours means recalling and adding up many episodes on the spot, which is hard. Diaries ask people to recall their day in order, and every activity must add up to exactly 24 hours.
Do people really overestimate their working hours?
On average, yes. A Monthly Labor Review study found employed people overestimate their work hours by 5 to 10 percent compared with their diaries, mostly among those who estimate long weeks.
How much television do UK adults watch?
The ONS found UK adults spent an average of 2 hours and 17 minutes a day watching television as a main activity between 23 September and 1 October 2023.
Who takes part in the UK time use study?
A representative sample of adults chosen from the NatCen Panel. Each person is given two diary days, one weekday and one weekend day.
Sources
Where the facts come from
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