British couples spend just four hours together per day, poll claims

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

Find out moreClose

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The average British couple spends just four hours a day together in the same room, a new poll has claimed.

A study of 2,000 adults who lived with their partners found conflicting work hours, different interests and alternative bed times resulted in little time spent together.

The typical weekday sees couples spend seven and a half hours in the house at the same time, but only 57 per cent of this is in the same room, the survey suggests.

And at weekends couples spend a total of nine hours under the same roof, but only 60 per cent of this time actually together.

It also emerged that three in 10 couples had opposing bedtimes.

But the study, commissioned by heating company Drayton, found that even when they were in the same room together, couples did not always get on, with one-fifth disagreeing about the brightness of the lights and one-tenth arguing about who sits where on the sofa.

One-third also disagreed over the temperature of the heating, with one-quarter arguing about how hot or cold the bedroom should be.

More than half of those polled said their partner had different opinions on how hot or cold the home should be, with women more likely to have the final say on the temperature (31 per cent of women compared to 22 per cent of men).

A Drayton spokesperson said: “It’s interesting to see just how much - or how little - time is spent with a partner at home together.

“The study shows that most couples have conflicting schedules to each other and as such use the rooms in their home in different ways and times.”

The study also found one-fifth mutually agree with their partner to spend time in different rooms, but a tenth admitted they are like "passing ships in the night".

One-sixth did not even sleep in the same bedroom, with 42 per cent of that group putting this down to their partner snoring.

While 31 per cent put their limited time together down to conflicting work hours, 45 per cent simply claimed to have different interests.

More than one-quarter did try to set aside time to spend together when they were home with their partner and most commonly this happened on a weekday evening.

Popular ways to spend time in the same room as one another included watching TV, eating and even tidying up together.

SWNS