More Americans are working from home in the pandemic, meaning their morning commute has become a few steps to their dining room or home office. But now more working Americans say they miss the day-to-day grind of a real morning commute.
Slightly more than half of American workers recently surveyed said they enjoy their commute to work, according to a survey of about 1,000 people conducted by Compare.com, an auto insurance website. Only 21% of those surveyed consider their commute a negative part of their day.
What’s more, 91% of consumers who favored commutes said it is at “least slightly important” to have a commute for a good workday, the survey says.
Why do they miss their commutes so much? Most workers said it gave them time to prepare for the day, they appreciated the alone time, and it allowed them time for reflection. Also, 41% said they used that time to unwind before arriving home.
Americans do more than just sit in a car or train mindlessly on their way to work. The survey found that most listen to music or podcasts. Eighteen percent—who don’t have to drive themselves—use the time to catch up on work emails or texts. Another 18% use the time to catch up on work calls.
Further, the survey from Compare.com found that the few respondents who had a one-hour commute or more were also the most likely to report that they are satisfied with their jobs. Only 1% of those with long commutes said they were not satisfied with their jobs.
However, in a seemingly paradoxical response, even as employees say they like their commutes, they also still say they want to do less commuting. Those with a commute of 30 minutes or more were the most likely to say they’d consider finding a new job with a shorter commute time.
Source: “How Are Americans Feeling About Their Commute These Days?” Compare.com (2021) and “More Than Half of Working Americans Enjoy Commuting, Surprising Survey Shows,” Inc.com (October 2021)
