Tag Archives: people watch

At 8 PM, 1/3 of Americans watching TV

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An hour by hour breakdown from the American Time Use Survey shows TV watching peaks at 8 PM:

More than a third of Americans will watch TV between 8 and 9pm today, while only 8 per cent of the country will spend the same hour doing household chores, and 7 per cent of the country is still at work.

That is according to an hourly breakdown of the federal government’s American Time Use Survey produced by e-commerce company Retale…

It shows that the average American still works between the hours of 8am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, and spends his or her evening doing household chores or watching TV.

However, the statistics show that Americans are working an average of ten minutes less per day than in 2003, and spend more time sleeping.

Interesting interactive charts provided by Retale. At least Americans can be united by their TV watching each night.

It strikes me that data like this could prompt a discussion of whether Americans share daily common experiences. How we use our time gives some indications of life priorities though there is a good amount of variation – what are those other 2/3 thirds of people doing at 8 PM or what are all these people watching? Does the data suggest there are more common American time uses that unite us or are there so many significant demographic differences that we couldn’t make such a statement?

The night(s) at the museum

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I still think this sounds like a cool way to spend a month:

The Museum of Science and Industry’s first live-in resident moved into her temporary home today equipped with an all-access pass allowing her to explore every nook and cranny.

Kate McGroarty, winner of the institution’s “Month at the Museum” contest settled into her personal, glass-enclosed exhibit and private living quarters this morning. She will live there through Nov. 18.

A couple of reasons why this sounds appealing to me:

1. I’ve always enjoyed this museum. There would be a lot to get acquainted with. I could probably look at the large model train set-up for hours. Can she spend a night in the old German submarine?

2. It would be fascinating to watch the people who come through.

3. I know this isn’t the goal of her month but does this inch us closer to a Truman Show-like reality? Could people actually become part of a museum’s exhibits?