Why Adults Stopped Enjoying Free Time, per a Club Med Survey
MIAMI – October 29, 2026 -- A new survey of 2,000 adults in the United States and Canada finds that 81% miss the sense of wonder they had as kids more than the free time they had back then. Club Med, the all-inclusive resort operator, commissioned the study from Wakefield Research as the first edition of its Art of Free Time Report 2026.
Obligations beat enjoyment for most adults
Some 87% of respondents say obligations take priority over things they want to do for enjoyment at least some of the time. For 41%, that happens most or all of the time. Club Med calls this distance between wanting more fun and making room for it the "Joy Gap."