Getting Chores Done is a Source of Conflict in Their Household, Say One Quarter (27%) of Americans in 12 States

Minneapolis, MN -- A new survey conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Honeywell reveals that while a majority of Americans in 12 states have assigned specific chores to keep their household in order, these tumultuous tasks often lead to conflict and can fall on deaf ears.

Although half (53%) of Americans indicate they `have assigned specific chores to each member of their household, a quarter (27%) `agrees' (7% strongly/21% agree) that `getting chores done around the house is always a conflict, although three in four (73%) `disagree' (32% strongly/41% disagree).

The study, conducted by global research company on behalf of Honeywell, spoke with 4,648 American adults from April 7th to April 17th 2014 in the following states: New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Arizona and California.

Interestingly, nearly two in five (35%) `agrees' (9% strongly/26% somewhat) that `they have to nag those they live with to help with the household chores', just two-thirds (65%) `disagree' (31% strongly/34% somewhat). To perhaps combat this nagging, one in five (16%) Americans `agree' (4% strongly/12% agree) that they `have pretended not to hear when being asked to do a household chore', although four in five (84%) `disagree' (47% strongly/37% disagree) that they have ever done this.

One usual household chore is having to take out the garbage, and a handful of Americans even cite this as a source of household conflict. One in ten (10%) `agree' (3% strongly/7% agree) that their family `argues every week about who's taking out the trash', with nine in ten (90%) `disagreeing' (60% strongly/30% disagree) that their family does this.

• Men are significantly more likely than women to say that they have assigned specific chores for each member in their household (56% vs. 50%), have pretended not to hear when being asked to do a household chore (22% vs. 11%) and argue weekly about taking out the trash (12% vs. 8%), while women are more likely to have had to nag to get someone to do a chore (41% vs. 28%).
• Americans aged 18-34 are more likely than their middle-aged (35-54) and senior (55+) counterparts to agree with all these statements about household chores. Younger Americans lead in having assigned chores (57%), nagging those they live with to do chores (43%), getting into conflict surrounding chores (37%), and arguing about taking out the trash (18%).
• American parents are significantly more likely than Americans without children in the household to be in agreement with all these attitudes about household chores. Parents are much more likely to have assigned chores to each household member (61% vs. 49%), nag those they live with to do chores (56% vs. 26%), get into conflict about doing chores (42% vs. 21%), and argue every week about taking out the trash (17% vs. 6%).

Other Sources of Conflict...

Household chores aren't the only source of conflict when it comes to different family members vying for control of many household items, ranging from the home's thermostat to television set.

Three in ten (30%) Americans `agree' (7% strongly/23% agree) that their household `can never seem to agree when it comes to the temperature of the house', while seven in ten (70%) `disagree' (29% strongly/41% disagree) that this happens. A similar proportion (27%) even `agree' (6% strongly/21% agree) that they `change the temperature on the thermostat when no one is looking' although seven in ten (73%) `disagree' (39% strongly/34% disagree) that they do this.

One in five (16%) Americans `agree' (4% strongly/12% agree) that `in their household, they always battle for possession of the TV remote', with four in five (84%) `disagreeing' (44% strongly/40% disagree) that they do this.

• Men (18%) are significantly more likely than women (14%) to say that they are in a constant battle for the TV remote.
• The younger Americans are, the more likely they are to be in agreement with these statements of conflict. Younger Americans lead in never agreeing about home temperature (43%), changing the thermostat when no one is looking (39%), and always battling for possession of the TV remote (27%).
• Parents are significantly more likely than Americans without children in the household to agree with these statements. Parents are more likely to never agree on the home's temperature (34% vs. 28%), change the thermostat when no one is looking (35% vs. 24%), and always battle for the possession of the TV remote (26% vs. 12%).

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These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Honeywell from April 7th to April 17th, 2014. For the survey, a sample of 4,648 American adults was interviewed online in the following states: New York n=381, Massachusetts n=358, Pennsylvania n=363, Washington n=351, North Carolina n=350, Georgia n=352, Michigan n=366, Illinois n=390, Missouri n=352, Texas n=393, Arizona n=350 and California n=642. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's age/sex composition reflects that of the actual U.S population according to Census information. The precision of Ipsos online polls are calculated using a credibility interval, with a poll of 4,648 considered accurate to ± 1.6 percentage points, 300 accurate to 6.5 percentage points and 600 accurate to 4.6 percentage points. For more information on the Ipsos use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website.

For more information on this news release please contact:

Keren Gottfried Senior Research Manager Ipsos Public Affairs 416.572.4481 [email protected]

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