How Australians use their time

The activities on which people spend their time can be divided into four broad types of time use. While survey improvements have reduced comparability with previous collections, at the highest level, patterns of time use in 2024 were similar to those in 2020-21. 

Personal care for self

• People reported an average of 10 hours 43 minutes a day on activities such as sleeping, eating and on their own health and hygiene.

Employment and education

• People reported an average of 8 hours 20 minutes a day on employment and education activities.

Unpaid work

• People reported an average of 4 hours 25 minutes a day on domestic activities, looking after children, caring for adults and volunteering.

Free time

• People reported an average of 5 hours 34 minutes a day on free time activities such as watching TV or streaming, socialising, exercising and reading. 

Most females (90%) and males (81%) participated in unpaid work on their diary day, with females spending an hour more per day, on average, on these activities. Of those who participated:

• Males reported an average of 3 hours 52 minutes a day
• Females reported an average of 4 hours 53 minutes a day.

Parents with a child aged under 15 spent longer doing unpaid work than people in other living situations, and significantly more than the overall average of 4 hours 25 minutes.

• Lone parents with children under 15 spent an average of 7 hours 4 minutes on unpaid work
• Parents living as a couple with children under 15 spent an average of 6 hours 16 minutes on unpaid work.

Female parents of children under 15 who reported doing unpaid work spent an average of 7 hours 29 minutes a day doing so, compared with male parents who spent 5 hours 2 minutes.

Fewer people reported doing unpaid work on days that they also did paid work (80% on a workday compared with 90% on days they did not work). People also reported spending less time on unpaid work activities on a workday. Of those who participated:

• Males reported an average of 2 hours 27 minutes on unpaid work on a workday and 4 hours 56 minutes on days they did not work
• Females reported an average of 3 hours 2 minutes on unpaid work on a workday, and 5 hours 50 minutes on days they did not work.

Domestic activities are unpaid work activities done to maintain and manage the household, excluding caring responsibilities.

Most people (81%) spent time doing domestic activities on their diary day. More females (86%) reported spending time doing domestic activities than males (75%). 

Of those who reported domestic activities, females spent 3 hours and 27 minutes on average, while males spent 3 hours.

Looking after children under 15 includes activities such as personal care for a child, playing with a child or helping them with their homework. Supervisory care of children while doing another activity is measured separately.

Female parents (88%) were more likely to report looking after children under 15 than male parents (72%). 

On average, female parents who looked after children spent over an hour more per day doing so than male parents:

• Female parents who looked after children spent 4 hours 38 minutes a day
• Male parents who looked after children spent 3 hours 29 minutes a day.

In the Time Use Survey, supervisory care of one or more children is time when a person was in the same location as a child under 15 and reported having the child in their care (i.e. being available to provide unpaid help if required). People also reported the main activity being undertaken at the same time as supervisory care of child.

Just under one quarter (23%) of people reported providing supervisory care of child while doing another activity, for an average of 7 hours 8 minutes a day. Females were more likely to provide supervisory care (25%) than males (21%).

Nearly one quarter of people (22%) reported providing supervisory care of child while also doing unpaid work activities, for an average of 2 hours 49 minutes. 

When doing paid work, 9% of people were also supervising a child, for an average of 5 hours 41 minutes a day. Females (10%) were more likely to report also supervising a child while doing paid work than males (8%). 

Employment activities includes activities such as paid work and travel to and from work.

More males participated in employment activities on their diary day than females (48% compared with 38%).

On average, males doing employment activities spent almost an hour more in a day doing so than females (8 hours 55 minutes compared with 7 hours 58 minutes).

On workdays, those who worked from home spent less time on paid work:

• People who worked from home worked for 7 hours 8 minutes
• People who did not work from home worked for 8 hours 18 minutes.

People who worked from home on their diary day spent around an hour longer doing unpaid work activities during their day (3 hours 24 minutes) than people who did not work from home (2 hours 26 minutes).

On the days that females worked from home, they did more unpaid work than males who worked from home:

• Females spent an average of 3 hours 48 minutes doing unpaid work on the days they worked from home
• Males spent an average of 3 hours 1 minute doing unpaid work on the days they worked from home.

Those who worked from home also spent more time on free time activities:

• Females who worked from home spent 3 hours 35 minutes on free time activities compared with 3 hours 10 minutes for those who did paid work but did not work from home
• Similarly, males who worked from home spent 4 hours on free time activities compared with 3 hours 24 minutes for those who did paid work but did not work from home.

Free time activities include activities generally performed for enjoyment or personal fulfillment, such as watching television, sport and exercise and other social, recreation and leisure activities.

Most people (91%) participated in free time activities:

• Males spent on average 5 hours 48 minutes on free time activities
• Females spent less time on these activities on average, 5 hours 21 minutes a day. 

Overall, parents reported spending significantly less time on free time activities (3 hours 38 minutes) than non-parents (6 hours 5 minutes).

Watching TV or streaming was the most reported free time activity, with 62% of people participating for an average of 2 hours 55 minutes a day.

On average, people spent 2 hours 19 minutes talking or socialising in person:

• One quarter (24%) of males talked or socialised in person, and spent an average of 2 hours 25 minutes doing so
• Nearly one third (30%) of females talked or socialised in person, and spent an average of 2 hours 15 minutes doing so.

Checking emails, social media and browsing online was also a popular free time activity, with one quarter (25%) of people reporting this activity, for an average of 1 hour 23 minutes a day. 

Overall, playing video or mobile games was a less popular activity, with 10% of people reporting participation. 

Those who played did so for an average of 2 hours 50 minutes:

• More males played than females (14% compared with 7%)
• Males who played video or mobile games also spent more time doing so than females (3 hours 20 minutes compared with 1 hour 49 minutes).

Playing video or mobile games was more common among those aged between 15 and 24 years. One third (33%) of males and 12% of females in this age group reported gaming on their diary day.

Those who played games in the 15 to 24 year old age group also did so for longer:

• Younger male gamers spent an average of 3 hours and 56 minutes a day playing games
• Younger female gamers spent 2 hours and 25 minutes a day playing games.

One third (33%) of people reported always or often feeling rushed or pressed for time. This figure was higher among females (36%) than males (30%).

Balancing work and family was the most common reason for always or often feeling rushed or pressed for time (42%).

When looking at time stress across age groups, almost half of females aged 35 to 44 (49%) felt always or often rushed or pressed for time. 

People in couple families with children aged under 15 (51%) were more likely to report feeling rushed or pressed for time than couple families with no children (26%).