Report · Culture

Americans most like to spend free time with immediate family

Reading

Immediate family edges out solitude as Americans' favorite way to spend free time: 37% like that time with their immediate family best, while 30% would rather be by themselves, according to an August 2025 Verasight survey.

A smaller share (18%) prefers free time with close friends. Relatively few like a large group of friends and family best (7%), while extended family (3%), a large group that includes people they don't know (2%), and something else (2%) round out the list.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

Americans most like to spend free time with immediate family.

Which of the following best describes how you like to spend your free time?

  • With my immediate family 36.9%
  • By myself 30.1%
  • With my close friends 18.4%
  • With a large group of friends and family 6.9%
  • With my extended family 3.4%
  • Other 2.3%
  • With a large group, including people I don’t know 2.0%

2025 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.2%

A

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2025-08-01 → 2025-08-06
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.2%
Module
A

Source

Citation

Verasight Quirks Omnibus Survey, fielded August 1-6, 2025, N=1,000 United States adults, +/- 3.2%.

https://verasight-quirks-2025.tiiny.co

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.