Time for Life

The National Time Diary Studies from the Americans' Use of Time Project at the University of Maryland in 1975 (2406 respondents) and 1985 (5300 respondents) and a 1965 University of Michigan study (1244 respondents) are the raw material from which the authors draw their interpretations. But these diaries, with their supposedly complete accounts of what respondents did on particular days, are hardly the last word on the subject, as the authors admit. They note that they are unable to control or correct any misinformation. Few persons, for example, said they engaged in ""sexual or other personal biological activity."" Even if approached by the dogged general reader with a skeptical eye and a fair tolerance for tedious analyses of methodology, the book yields conclusions that seem questionable, e.g., ""hours spent studying have little relation to grades."" Others seem patronizingly obvious: ""The haves are... more likely to participate in most forms of leisure activities than their less-privileged counterparts.... The have-nots are less likely to use home computers or print media...."" Most disturbing to the authors is the trend in which Americans spend increased leisure time watching television: hardly a surprise. Such findings are unlikely to significantly revise our understanding of our use of time. Illustrations not seen by PW. (June)