8-to-4 is a more popular work schedule than 9-to-5

Hoang NguyenData Journalist
November 29, 2017, 6:00 PM GMT+0

69% of Americans prefer getting in and out of work earlier than the traditional 9-to-5

It’s seems as if there isn’t a day that passes where the eight-hour work day isn’t under siege. While many employees can’t do much to change the length of their work day, a recent YouGov poll reveals that working Americans would definitely like to see a change from the traditional 9-to-5 shift.

New YouGov Omnibus research suggests that Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” should become a relic of the past. Only 9% of Americans who work full-time prefer to work those particular hours and if they could choose their own eight-hour shift, many would rather work from 8am to 4pm (17%). The second most popular option is even earlier with full-time employees saying they’re willing to come in at 7am if it mean they can get out at 3pm.

Interestingly,

YouGov conducted the same poll in the UK

and found that those across the pond also favor an earlier start to their work day.



Across all age groups, a majority of employed respondents say they would rather get to work and leave it earlier than the traditional workday. Nearly three quarters of Americans 35 and over are say they’d like an earlier start (72%) and millennials agree to a lesser extent (63%). The results also reveal that parents of children over the age of 18 are ten percentage points more likely to than those without (75% versus 65%) to say they’d like an earlier start to their work day.



Waking up on the other side of the bed, nearly one in five Americans would like a later start from the traditional 9 to 5 (19%). One-fifth of millennials (20%) wouldn’t mind coming into work after 9am and working into the evening, while a late start is slightly less popular among Gen X’ers (19%) and those 55 and over (17%). Regardless of whether working Americans believe in the eight-hour work day or not, it still might be time to retire the 9-to-5.



YouGov also conducted the same poll in the UK

and found that those across the pond also favor an earlier start to their work day (66%) than 9am.



Read more results from this poll here



Learn more about YouGov Omnibus research

Image: Getty