With the aim to better understand how the start of the day impacts a person’s well-being, IKEA has launched its first global Life at Home Report. The report takes a deep look at people’s morning routines from waking up to walking out the door, and how their morning habits impact their days.
“We do research about people’s lives at home simply because we want to get insights that make it possible for us to contribute to a better life,” said Mikael Ydholm, research manager IKEA Group. “We are curious about how people live their lives at home, what they do, what their expressed wishes and needs are, but also what their latent needs are. We are very excited to share these valuable insights with the world.”
The survey was conducted in eight major cities—Berlin, London, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Shanghai and Stockholm. The results reveal some surprising global differences and similarities of how people start their days.
Urban people on average spend 1 hour and 37 minutes from waking up to taking off in the morning. In Shanghai, this only takes 56 minutes, whereas in Mumbai it generally takes 2 hours and 24 minutes.
In many cities, time for self-reflection in the morning is important for personal wellbeing. For instance, 57% of the people in New York agreed, whereas in Berlin only 9% share this view. The most common place for self-reflection is in the shower or bath.
Respondents use mobile technology and social media approximately 11 minutes every morning and 32% state that it’s very important for their wellbeing.
Specifically in New York, key findings included the following:
- 56% of New Yorkers don’t see themselves as morning people. However, 51% of people in New York wake up before 7:00 a.m.
- New Yorkers spend more time grooming on average than the other surveyed cities, taking 16 minutes instead of 14. New York women clock in at 19 minutes while New York men spend, on average, 12 minutes.
- Only 13% of New Yorkers think they are most attractive in the morning.
- 40% of New Yorkers have worked from their bed. Thankfully, only 16% have worked from their bathroom.
- To prepare for the day ahead, 24% of New Yorkers pack lunch the night before and 35% pick out clothes for the next day.
The data included in the report consists of existing IKEA consumer research, other published studies, interviews with various specialists and experts, as well as a new survey conducted in eight major cities around the world. All in all, 8,292 answers were collected among people from 18 to 60 years of age. The survey was carried out in cooperation with Swedish business intelligence agency United Minds, and has been complemented with reputable published studies and findings from external research sources.
The complete IKEA Life at Home Report can be viewed online.
