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America’s Work-hard Culture Sees Rise in Stress Levels, Less Ability to Truly Let Go and Relax
More Than Half of Americans Use Vacations Days for Anything Other than Actually Vacationing
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (August 12, 2015)–Americansare hard workers, but when it comes to taking a break, they may need someadvice. According to results released today from PrincessCruises’sixthannual Relaxation Report, over half (54%) of Americans spend their vacation daysdealing with personal obligations such as family emergencies, doctor’s ordentist’s appointments and sick days for their children or loved ones ratherthan actually vacationing. And the mere thought of asking their boss for a fewextra days off causes more stress than asking for a pay raise for nearly aquarter (22%) of American workers, according to the recent survey by WakefieldResearch for Princess Cruises.
On thisNational Relaxation Day (Saturday, August 15,) the idea of stress andrelaxation is an important discussion to be had with our 24/7 always-onAmerican culture. Stress triggers are on the rise with nearly a one-third ofpeople who get stressed at just the thought of relaxing, up from 28-percent in2014. And 42-percent frequently feel guilty about relaxing, also up from38-percent last year. For more than a third of Americans (36%), it’s even moredifficult to find time to relax than to live within their budget!
"In the six years that Princess Cruises has commissionedthis survey, we’ve continued to see stress levels rise year after year …” saidJan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. "We aren’t giving ourselvespermission to truly let go and relax, and whether that’s because of the demandson our intense lives or our own guilt, this is an unsustainable trend that canhave a genuinely adverse impact on our society as a whole.”
Evensummertime brings no reprieve. Despite the sunshine, warm weather and breakfrom school schedules, more than three quarters (77%) of parents are busierduring the summer months compared to the rest of the year. That’s due in partto the stress that comes with planning – and taking – an actual vacation forhalf (50%) of Americans who find things like research and handling travellogistics stressful, and over half (55%) who return feeling the need for avacation from their vacation.
On theoptimistic side however, Americans still believe they can achieve the dream offinding relaxation, with two-thirds (66%) who agree that taking a cruise wouldbe the best way to experience life and relaxation all in one vacation. Proudly,Princess Cruises offers an array of options for any traveler looking to “come back new” aboard itsworldwide fleet of ships in exotic destinations.
Additionalinformation about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travelconsultant, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237), or online at# style='font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>.
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About the 2015 Survey
The Princess CruisesRelaxation Day 2015 Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+, between July 23-July 29,2015, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set toensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult ages 18+. Resultsof any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variationis measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of thepercentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in thisparticular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary,plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would beobtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universerepresented by the sample.
About PrincessCruises:
One of the best-knownnames in cruising, Princess Cruises is a global cruise line and tour companyoperating a fleet of 18 modern cruise ships renowned for their innovativedesign and wide array of choices in dining, entertainment and amenities, allprovided in an environment of exceptional customer service. A recognized leaderin worldwide cruising, Princess carries 1.7 million guests each year todestinations around the globe ranging in length from three to 111 days. Thecompany is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:CCL; NYSE: CUK).
Newsroom:
Additional mediainformation is available at princess.com/news.
For furtherinformation contact:
Jina Michaels, jina.michaels@citiznerelations.com, +1213-996-3786
Karen Candy, kcandy@princesscruises.com, +1 661-753-1540
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