Long ago, actually around 1500 B.C. in Egypt, humans began keeping track of daylight. This helped Homosapiens be able to determine when it was best to plant food, hunt or go into a dwelling for the evening to stay safe. Time, also helps people meet up with each other at a more specific point in the day versus waiting at dusk for someone to show up. Imagine telling your friend "I will see you tomorrow when the sun rises." You would never know exactly when they we would show up, you would just have to wait.
For many of us time is precious. A survey of 3,000 adults stated that they are "obsessed" with being on time. This research was commissioned by European bakery experts, St. Pierre Bakery. More than a third of those people say they pride themselves on being early to scheduled social events or meetings, with 45% of them being on time and a tenth are often late. More than a third of average adults get stressed if they are as little as 10 minutes late. Actually, 60% of people insist on being early to events with 39% saying it is socially unacceptable to be late.
70% of people know someone who is late to everything. Less than 25% though are willing to admit they ARE that friend. 47% of people admit they tell their late friend an earlier arrival time to make sure they actually show up on time. The average time a late attendee arrives was found to be 27 minutes late which left them feeling apologetic, embarrassed or stressed. Men are more likely to feel embarrassed and anxious about being late but women are more likely to just laugh it off.
The most common excuses for being late are traffic (37%),their alarm didn't go off (33%) or their car did not start (32%). Lockdown of course has made the nation live slower with 55% of people enjoying not having the pressures of being somewhere at a specific time.
Do you have a late friend? Are YOU that friend or are you an early bird?
For a breakdown of all the stats visit SWNSdigital.com