Adults happiest when spending time with kids: Survey analysis

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Friday, April 04, 2025

American adults view time spent with children as a much stronger source of happiness and meaningfulness than time spent with others, according to an analysis of a recent survey.

The Institute for Family Studies recently released its analysis of the 2021 American Time Use Survey. The study examined the well-being ratings of U.S. adults between the ages of 25 and 50, especially when participating in activities with children.

According to Ken Burchfiel, an IFS research fellow, “56% of activity time receives the highest meaningfulness rating when children are present, whereas only 37% of time spent with other individuals does. Similarly, respondents are more likely to assign the highest happiness rating to time spent on activities with their kids (44%) than without (25%).”

Seventy-four percent of activity time received the highest possible rating for “low pain” when children were present, while 67% of activity time spent with other people received the highest possible rating for “low pain.” The same phenomenon existed in activities that received the highest possible rating for “low sadness,” with 83% of activity time spent with children receiving that rating compared to just 70% of activity time spent with others.

Nearly half (48%) of activity time spent with children received the highest possible rating for “low stress,” while just 36% of activity time spent with others did. Twenty-five percent of activity time spent with children received the highest possible rating for “low tiredness” compared to 21% of activity time spent with others.

Burchfiel also placed activity time into five separate categories and found that in all but one case, activities that fit into that category were seen as more enjoyable when children were around. Forty-seven percent of time eating and drinking received the highest possible happiness rating when children were around, whereas only 36% of such time received the highest possible happiness rating when others were around.

Nearly half (46%) of time socializing, relaxing and engaging in other leisure activities received the highest possible happiness rating when children were around, while less than one-third (32%) of time spent on the same activities with others received the highest possible happiness rating. Forty-one percent of time traveling with children received the highest possible happiness rating compared to only 32% of time traveling with others.

Burchfiel found that 35% of time spent on household activities received the highest possible happiness rating when children were around compared to 21% of time spent on household activities with others. Only when it comes to time spent on consumer purchases did time spent with others receive a higher possible happiness rating (40%) than time spent with children (38%).

Burchfiel discovered that people viewed time spent engaging in all five categories of activities as more meaningful when they were with children than when they were with others. Time spent traveling with children received a higher possible meaningfulness rating (57%) than time spent traveling with others (33%). Time spent eating and drinking with children received a higher possible meaningfulness rating (57%) than time spent eating and drinking with others (41%).

Time spent on consumer purchases received a higher meaningfulness rating (52%) when children were around compared to when others were around (28%). Half of time spent socializing, relaxing and engaging in leisure activities (50%) received the highest possible meaningfulness rating when children were around, whereas only 33% of time engaging in such activities with others received the highest possible meaningfulness rating.

Forty-eight percent of time spent on household activities with children received the highest possible meaningfulness rating compared to 34% of time engaging in household activities with others.

When looking at all time spent with one’s own children, Burchfiel found that it received the highest possible happiness rating 44% of the time, while receiving the highest possible meaningfulness rating 56% of the time.

By contrast, only 37% of time spent with a spouse received the highest possible happiness rating and 43% of time spent with a spouse received the highest possible meaningfulness rating. Even smaller shares of time spent alone received the highest possible happiness (19%) and meaningfulness (29%) ratings.

Burchfiel also discovered that nearly half of time (48%) spent with both spouses and children received the highest possible happiness rating, compared to 40% of time spent with children but not with a spouse, and 26% of time spent with a spouse but not children. Only 25% of time spent with “someone else” received the highest possible happiness rating.

In the one part of his analysis that did not focus exclusively on time spent with children, Burchfiel found that 65% of time spent caring for and helping others in a household received the highest possible score for meaningfulness while 45% of such time received the highest possible score for happiness.

A much lower percentage of time eating and drinking (41%), engaging in household activities (37%), traveling (36%), engaging in work and related activities (33%) and socializing, relaxing or engaging in leisure time (32%) received the highest possible meaningfulness score.

An even smaller percentage of time eating and drinking (36%), socializing, relaxing or engaging in leisure time (32%), traveling (27%), engaging in household activities (25%) and engaging in work and related activities (16%) received the highest possible happiness score.

Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com

Forty-eight percent of time spent on household activities with children received the highest possible meaningfulness rating compared to 34% of time engaging in household activities with others.

Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com