Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Did you check your inbox while on vacation? Americans are divided on answer

To log on, or not to log on. That is the question.

At least, it’s a question many workers ask themselves when they are on vacation, as many have been this month. A Fox News survey, conducted Aug. 3-5, asked this question: “Some people like to check and answer email every day to keep up with it, while others would rather completely disconnect and just dig through loads of email when they return. What about you?”

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“Dig out from under when you return” was the philosophy of 46% of those surveyed, while 42% said they kept up with e-mail every day. Another 10% said they either didn’t use e-mail, or take a vacation or both.

Younger workers were the most likely to stay tethered to their inbox while on vacation – 51% of those under 35 kept up with e-mail every day, compared to 40% or less among their older aged colleagues. Digging out from under after vacation was most popular with those 35 to 54 – half followed that strategy.

When it came to checking in with the office while on vacation, 46% said they didn’t do it at all while 42% checked in at least once a day or a few times a week. When Fox News asked the question in 2005, 59% of those surveyed said they didn’t check in with the office at all while on vacation.

Which camp are you in? Tell us in the comments section.