Millennials Spend More Time Socializing, Sleeping Than Elders

(Bloomberg) -- The average millennial may sleep and game more than older generations, but is more educated, according to new U.S. government research.

Millennials, or those born between 1981 and 1996, spend about 20 minutes more per day sleeping, and double the amount of time playing games than older generations, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Wednesday. At the same time, nearly half of the younger set have at least a Bachelor’s degree compared to just about one-third of older folks, the report by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics economist Michelle Freeman showed.

The report lays out how various age groups use their time to offer a snapshot of millennials versus other generations, based on 2017 data. While some findings are not too surprising (younger people spend more time with kids at home -- likely their own, and are less likely to be married, while older generations spend more time relaxing as many more are retired) other data were more revealing.

Millennials who volunteer and engage in religious activities spend about the same hours per day doing these as members of Generation X, Baby Boomers, the Silent Generation, and the so-called Greatest Generation (those born around the time of the first World War). But a smaller share of millennials actually participate. In terms of volunteering, 7.1% of older Americans are engaged daily, about double the rate of millennials.

Another interesting finding: while about 40% of those in older generations are not employed (many likely at or past retirement age), those that do work spent nearly as much time as millennials on those activities every day.

There’s also a difference in what millennials look like. They’re more likely to be Asian, Hispanic or Latino; the groups make up over one-quarter of the generation’s population, while it’s only about 17% for the older folks. There’s a greater share of women among the older generations, largely a factor of health as women tend to live longer than men.

To contact the reporter on this story: Katia Dmitrieva in Washington at edmitrieva1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Scott Lanman at slanman@bloomberg.net, Alex Tanzi

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