{"id":7896,"date":"2023-08-10T14:00:10","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T19:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/more-than-4-in-10-u-s-workers-dont-take-all-their-paid-time-off\/"},"modified":"2025-04-24T00:00:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T04:00:07","slug":"more-than-4-in-10-u-s-workers-dont-take-all-their-paid-time-off","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/08\/10\/more-than-4-in-10-u-s-workers-dont-take-all-their-paid-time-off\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 4 in 10 U.S. workers don\u2019t take all their paid time off\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some 46% of U.S. workers who receive paid time off from their employer \u2013 whether for vacation, doctor\u2019s appointments or minor illnesses \u2013 take less time than they are offered, <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2023\/03\/30\/how-americans-view-their-jobs\/\">according to a recent Pew Research Center survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-did-this\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-did-this&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we did this<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to look at how workers in the United States use their paid time off benefit. The analysis excludes workers who are self-employed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For this analysis, we surveyed 5,188 U.S. adults who are working part time or full time, who are not self-employed, and who have only one job or have more than one but consider one to be their primary job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The data was collected as part of a larger survey of workers conducted Feb. 6-12, 2023. Everyone who took part is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Address-based sampling ensures nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/our-methods\/u-s-surveys\/the-american-trends-panel\/\">ATP\u2019s methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/03\/ST_2023.03.30_Culture-of-Work_Topline.pdf\">questions<\/a> used for this analysis and the survey\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2023\/03\/30\/culture-of-work-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-9487\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2023\/08\/10\/more-than-4-in-10-u-s-workers-dont-take-all-their-paid-time-off\/sr_2023-08-11_worker-pto_1-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e9e7df\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e9e7df;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px\" height=\"622\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/08\/SR_2023.08.11_worker-pto_1.png?w=310\" alt=\"A bar chart showing that more than 4 in 10 workers who get paid time off say they take less time off than their employer allows.\" class=\"wp-image-9487 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/08\/SR_2023.08.11_worker-pto_1.png 620w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/08\/SR_2023.08.11_worker-pto_1.png?resize=150,300 150w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/08\/SR_2023.08.11_worker-pto_1.png?resize=510,1024 510w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/08\/SR_2023.08.11_worker-pto_1.png?resize=202,405 202w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/08\/SR_2023.08.11_worker-pto_1.png?resize=200,401 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/08\/SR_2023.08.11_worker-pto_1.png?resize=260,522 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/08\/SR_2023.08.11_worker-pto_1.png?resize=310,622 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/08\/SR_2023.08.11_worker-pto_1.png?resize=420,843 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/08\/SR_2023.08.11_worker-pto_1.png?resize=160,320 160w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upper-income workers are more likely than middle- and lower-income workers to say they take off less time than offered. About half of upper-income workers (51%) say this, compared with 45% of middle-income workers and 41% of lower-income workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are also differences by education level. About half of workers who have a bachelor\u2019s degree or more education (51%) say they take less time off than what is offered, compared with 41% of workers with less education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among workers who receive paid time off, there are also differences by pay type, managerial status and industry when it comes to using that benefit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Salaried workers are more likely than hourly workers<\/strong> to take less paid time off than their employer offers (52% vs. 39%).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Managers are more likely than nonmanagers<\/strong> to say they take less time off than available (54% vs. 42%).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>68% of workers in education and 57% in government, public administration or the military<\/strong> say they take less time off than offered. These are higher than the shares in other industries who say the same.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When workers who don\u2019t take all their time off are asked <em>why<\/em>, some reasons are more common than others. About half of those who don\u2019t take all their time off (52%) say they don\u2019t feel they need to take more. A similar share (49%) say they\u2019d worry about falling behind at work if they took more time off. Some 43% of workers who don\u2019t take all their time off say they\u2019d feel badly about their co-workers taking on additional work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Workers\u2019 reasons for not taking more time off also vary by demographic and job characteristics, including race, gender and years with their employer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Women are more likely than men<\/strong> to say that feeling badly about co-workers taking on additional work is a reason they take less time off than offered (48% vs. 39%). Women ages 18 to 49 are especially likely to say this, compared with men of the same age group (53% vs. 43%).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Black workers are more likely than White workers <\/strong>to say that the risk of losing their job is a reason they take less time off than what is offered (21% vs. 13%).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>About a quarter (24%) of <strong>workers who have been with their employer for less than a year<\/strong> say that the risk of losing their job is a reason they don\u2019t take more time off. A similar share (21%) of workers who have been with their employer for between one and five years say this. More tenured workers are less likely to say this is a reason they don\u2019t take all their available time off (11% say this).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: Here are the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/03\/ST_2023.03.30_Culture-of-Work_Topline.pdf\"><em>questions<\/em><\/a><em> used for this analysis, along with responses, and the survey <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2023\/03\/30\/culture-of-work-methodology\/\"><em>methodology<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About half of upper-income workers (51%) say they take off less time than offered, compared with 45% of middle-income workers and 41% of lower-income 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