Samsung has released their latest Australians@HOME research which shows how significant technology is in helping make Australians’ lives easier.
Our lives changed considerably in 2020 as Australians were forced to be at home more and thus their connection with home changed.
Aussie used technology to continue working during a time when their office was closed and even now remains limited. On a personal front, it helped families connect on a deeper level, despite not being able to physically be near many of our loved ones, for months at a time.
Through phases of home schooling, kids and parents shared the same spaces with laptops and WiFi powering education and productivity.
As we spent more time at home, many of us looked the tech we had in our homes and considered investing in more, to make our home offices better.
“With our commitment to understanding Australians since the first report in 2015, we are well placed to share insights about how the role of technology has evolved.
Australians have rethought and reshaped how they live their life around the home, whether it’s work, learning, entertaining or connecting. They are spending more time in the home and rely on it as a sanctuary to do more and provide solutions to new challenges we face.
This turbulent time has also proved to be a generational leveller with younger and older Australians alike. Baby Boomers flocked online to socialise through platforms like House Party and Zoom, switched to banking and grocery shopping online, and downloaded apps.
At the same time, Millennials and Gen Z found peace and enjoyment from preparing meals and nesting at home – cleaning, reorganising, and making their living spaces their sanctuaries.”
Jeremy Senior, Head of Consumer Electronics, Samsung Australia.
Tech as the home entertainer.
In 2020 we danced, cried, binged, worked and learned, through the technology in our home. The TV was at the heart of this as it became part of our refuge and escape from stresses and became a more communal experience – with 28% of Australians saying their households watched TV shows together more often in 2020.
To support this entertainment hub, Aussie households average 2.7 TVs in the home and 30% of all TVs are in the bedroom – while it seems size does matter with 70% of main household TVs over 50-inches.
Throughout 2020 the TV wasn’t just our entertainment escape; it was our classroom, our fitness studio, our friend in the kitchen at meal-time, and we found ourselves watching live stream Penguin Parades and renowned Aussie artists performing for us from their homes.
And according to the latest research, Australians spent 37 hours a week (5.3hrs per weekday, and 5hrs on Saturday and Sunday) in front of a TV in 2020, but surprisingly only average 1.2 streaming subscriptions per household.
Aussies turn to cooking
In 2020, many Aussies turned to the kitchen as a hub for in-home entertainment – revitalising old baking and cooking hobbies, using food and meal prep to switch off from life/ work, and using the extra time on their hands to prepare good quality food for their families and themselves.
As such, Australian dining habits changed with 44% of Aussies cooking more from scratch, highest amongst young families (58%) and millennials (49%) who turned to the kitchen most.
Not only a new hobby and a passer of time, meals became a moment to come together – with 29% of Australians indicating they’re eating more meals together – winding the clock-back on family dinner time. This was highest amongst young families (44%) and, understandably, those in Victoria (38%).
Hygiene in the home
While Aussies adapted in how they used their homes for entertainment, work, learning and family time – cleaning and hygiene became a critical focus. This trend was prominent across the board – but mostly so from, Millennials – who were ‘feeling’ their spaces and cleaning in an aim to make the home more of a sanctuary from the outside world.
In 2020, one-in-four Australians spent more time cleaning, while a third of Millennials were cleaning more – on average 7.3 hours a week, higher amongst young families (8.5hrs). Over a quarter of Australians (27%) also confirmed they were doing a deep clean weekly, which was more prominent amongst 18 to 24 year olds (40%) and 25 to 39 year olds (33%) who were out cleaning their parents (16%, 55 to 75 year olds)
While home cleanliness seemed to be the main beneficiary of our new working routine, with 53% of young families and 66% of males aged 18 to 24 confirming working from home allowed them to catch up on chores.
The research also showed that 18 to 24 and 25 to 39 year olds are more concerned about the cleanliness of their homes and clothes, compared with the older generations. 81% of Aussies are concerned about keeping dust and mould out of their home – this is highest amongst 18-24 – 86%, 25-39 – 87%.
While 79% of Aussies are concerned about keeping surfaces clean (benchtops, floors); this is again highest amongst 18-24 and 25-39 olds (88%), compared with 55-75 years olds (66%).
Samsung has created an infographic with much of the data from the report visualised (PDF 994kb).
