NEW YORK — Half of Americans wait until summer to turn on the air conditioning, according to a survey of 2,000 Americans. The poll looked at the downsides of summer and found that on average, people think five hours a day outside in the summer is just enough, but 38 percent would opt for even less.
With the worst aspects of the season ranging from feeling sweaty (35%), to bugs (32%), and getting sunburnt (31%), 53 percent of all respondents agree that summer is best spent indoors.
Respondents also named some of their worst summer experiences, which included “feeling faint from the heat,” “getting a second-degree sunburn at the pool,” and “getting dressed up and sweating.”
The average person goes into four public places a week during the summer just to escape the heat, with two-thirds of respondents agreeing that one of the best summer feelings is stepping into an air-conditioned setting.
The perfect temperature for air conditioning
According to the survey, the perfect temperature to keep the AC running at during the summer months is a chilly 64 degrees! Another reason that 55 percent of people prefer staying inside during the summer is that planning an outdoor outing is more of a hassle compared to an indoor one.
This may be why 53 percent are actually looking for ways to have fun indoors this summer. Most respondents add they’re on the hunt for fun indoor activities to catch up with friends and family indoors this summer (59%), but wish there were more options (57%).
Conducted by OnePoll in partnership with Dave & Buster’s, the survey found that 45 percent think it’s hard to find an activity that everyone wants to do on hot summer days. However, half of respondents admit they feel bored of all the usual activities they do with their loved ones in the summertime (52%), backed by 58 percent who agree that it’s easy to get bored more easily during the summer than any other season.
Three-quarters of parents surveyed also shared it’s hard to keep their kids entertained since they’re at an age where they quickly get bored of doing one thing (74%).
“A majority of Americans are actually planning on making summer memories indoors and it’s easy to understand why,” says Brandon Coleman, Dave & Buster’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, in a statement. “Cranking up the AC, and dining, drinking and playing games are top choices for enjoying the most of the summer months.”
Exploring the great INdoors
This summer, people are open to different indoor activities to spend time with their loved ones of all ages like catching up over yummy food (37%), going shopping (31%) or visiting an arcade (25%).
Three in five don’t mind making things interesting with a little friendly competition in their friend group (59%). The same percentage are also more likely to try out new foods or experiences during the summertime and agree that summer is the best time of year for indulgent foods.
“For a long time, the idea of a ‘summer in the great outdoors’ has reigned as king, and frankly, it’s time for a shakeup,” Coleman says. “Spending time indoors is far from boring with endless entertainment possibilities for people of all ages. It’s easy to see how some of the best summer memories are made inside!”
What ac are you running. With summer temps over 100 here in Texas it is impossible to get a house down to 64 as most air conditioning will only cool the air 15-20 below the ambient air temp.
What a crock. This author isn’t even on Twitter. Is someome trying to overload the power grid? Smh. 77.
Nope. I’m comfortable at home in 80 degrees, shorts and a tank top.
Me too, approx. 78-80. If people got out more in the heat, they’d acclimate to a much higher AC setting & feel too cool at 74. I think study finds is collaborating to drive up energy bills, hasten the brown-outs and black-outs (and I love traditional, un-woke words).
agreed, but I lived in Phoenix and the air is much drier. 78° at night but I can not imagine someone’s bill setting the temp at 64°
64? Are you insane? Mine stays at 74 except for the hour before I go to bed where I bring it down to 70 to cool off the house enough that I can fall asleep.
Everyone they surveyed, must be on meth.
64…that’s ridiculous! You’d have to bundle up in your house. Go outside when it’s 64 and I bet you’re wearing a sweatshirt. I live in Vegas and in my home it’s 76-78 during the day, but we do take it down to 72 for sleeping.
Sure, set it for 64, my wimpy window AC in an old farmhouse might get it Down to 70 before 2PM, but after that if it can keep it at 73-74 that’s fine.. Now, upstairs, in an 1880’s farmhouse, the bedroom needs to be 68 ish with a ceiling fan going and we’re good. Might keep it at 72-75 on super hot days, but that’s ok.
.https://www.energy.gov/articles/history-air-conditioning
That was real heat with Humidity! Chokingly hot. Read up. AC is very inefficient, better than it was, but still not great., 64 degrees as a set temp? never happen. The cheapest heat/AC is insulation. The middle class didn’t see widespread AC till the Mid 70’s. Car AC was around in the early 60’s but was unreliable and expensive to maintain.
I know of no AC unit that can obtain 64 degrees, you would need to move to refrigeration.
Who is stupid enough to set their thermostat on 64 degrees in summer?
Most homeowners here in Texas won’t get a temperature that low s with a temperature of 103 outside.
I feel sorry for those who live indoors during the summer and can’t go outside without putting on sunglasses and running to the next a/c.
73 degrees year-round
You surveyed 12 yr olds if 64 is your perfect setting. No bill-paying adult would ever set it that low. Not to mention, freezing your tookus off…
Fat lazy Americans, spending summer indoors consuming massive amounts of energy running AC at 64 degrees ordering fast food deliveries – -accelerating global warming and the production of consumer waste.
I thought this article was very boring. (I read it while indoors with the thermostat set at 75.)
I do 74-76 on average. In the winter I do 76-78. I just can’t take that cool air and I do prefer to walk around the house in light shorts and a tank top all year around.
I think the author of this article is a bit disconnected from reality, or using the same polling people that Hillary Clinton was using.
I like it cold, after my Army aviation career ended, I didn’t move back to my home state of Ma. as Dem lawmakers eviscerated the same Constitutional values I thought I was protecting, so I moved to West Florida, and not looked back.
I’ve never seen a home kept at 64* -Not one-
I keep my home at 72, I don’t put a long shirt on unless it’s 50 or lower. My home has an emergency generator and portable A/c in the event a hurricane knocks out the grid. During Hurricane Irma, I lent out my inverter generator and portable Ac as a elderly neighbor with a Cpap machine needed it more than I did, so me and my Maine Coon sat in the dark in a hot house.
Secretly I bought a second portable AC and another generator, hardwired so I cannot loan it out. So I still have a loaner.
Only the fatties need it that cold.
My wife would like 64. I like 74. And so the argument continues.
The people who say they keep it at 64 are probably the same people who are demanding an end to use of fossil fuels, utterly clueless as to the real world impact actually ending use of fossil fuels will be. They won’t like doing without heat in winter and cool air in the summer when all the power plants are shut down and the world is forced to survive on solar and wind power.