Chinese travellers least likely to switch off – study
Guest Writers are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the specific writer directly
Chinese travellers are the least likely to ‘switch off’ while on holiday, a new study has found.
Research by Accor’s Pullman brand, in conjunction with research institute IPSOS, shows that the Chinese remain addicted to their smartphones, with the majority checking them even while on vacation.
Seventy-nine percent of Chinese respondents said they have at least one ‘professional’ mobile device (compared with a global average of 60%), and during a week-long holiday, 14% of Chinese respondents said they spend 1-2 days on their professional devices. By contrast, only 5% of Australians allowed work to encroach on their leisure time so much.
Most global respondents said they believe it is acceptable to handle private activities during work hours, because they also work when they are at home. But there are differences in the types of personal behaviour that different nationalities think acceptable. For example 60% of Chinese respondents admitted to going onto dating sites at work, compared to only 6% of French respondents. Americans were found to be the most likely to spend work time shopping online, with 68% saying this was a regular activity, while 85% of Chinese research and book their holidays at work.
On average, 30% of the survey sample spends at least 30 minutes a day handling private issues during working hours.
“This survey corroborates and sheds further light on a trend we have observed in several areas. Universes that were, in theory, disconnected, are increasingly intermingled. In this case, the boundaries between professional and private worlds are increasingly blurred. However, we have a myriad other examples in daily life: the blurring of news and entertainment, of fiction and reality, or even of luxury goods and mass market products,” said Dominique Lévy-Saragossi, managing director of IPSOS France.
French and German travellers are the most resistant to merge their professional and private lives. They also have the most negative opinion of mobile professional devices, and are the least likely to handle private activities during their working hours.
By contrast, the Chinese are the least likely to switch off during what should be personal time – 65% of Chinese respondents said they check their professional devices during private meals, while only 34% of Australians and 36% of French would do the same.
Comments are closed.