Parents are way better at this one activity than their child-less peers

Overwhelmed is Just a State of Mind: Parents Have Longer Attention Spans Than Those Without Kids
Read more about Kids and Money

Parents report having a laser-like focus across a wide range of activities, unlike their childless peers, according to a poll by CreditDonkey.com.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, people with children report having longer attention spans than those without children, according to a poll by CreditDonkey. Across a wide range of activities — from working and reading to driving and texting — parents said they’re able to maintain their focus for longer periods.

CreditDonkey asked more than 1,200 participants to grade their attention spans on a scale from good to fair to poor. In response:

  • 74.2 percent of parents said their attention spans are “good” while working, compared with 60.1 percent of non-parents who gave themselves the same assessment.

  • For reading, 69.6 percent of people with children reported having good attention spans versus 59.1 percent of those without children.

  • 84.3 percent of parents said they have good attention spans while driving, compared with 75.4 percent of childless people.

  • While talking on the phone, parents’ attention spans beat non-parents’ by 45.5 percent to 40.2 percent.

  • Parents also reported better focus than non-parents while texting: 49.9 percent to 43.2 percent.

  • The biggest gap between attention spans occurs when spending time with the family. Here, 67.4 percent of parents said their attention spans are “good,” compared with 52 percent of childless people.

  • The only activities for which non-parents reported better focus than parents are: exercising (50.6 percent to 48.5 percent) and playing sports (57.8 percent to 56.7 percent).

"Initially, we were surprised by the results,” said CreditDonkey founder Charles Tran. “You tend to think new parents are torn in many directions, from their demanding tots, demanding households, and the needs of their professional lives. But over time, these parents evolve or else they’d never get anything done. They develop ways of maintaining their focus and concentration in the midst of the near-continuous distractions caused by children. In my experience, it takes a while to do this, but eventually many parents develop such a laser-like focus that not even an earthquake would shatter their concentration.”

Although most parents would win the attention span contest, the poll indicates that parents are more likely than non-parents to believe their memories aren’t what they used to be. When asked if their short-term memories had declined over the past five years, 50.7 percent of parents said yes, compared with 40.7 percent of non-parents. When it comes to long-term memory, 39.7 percent of parents said their ability to recall information had declined, whereas only 30.7 percent of non-parents said the same.

“On the other hand, parents are less likely to forget birthdays,” said Tran. “Among those who said they seldom or never forget the birthdays of friends and relatives, 53.4 percent were parents compared with 46.7 percent of non-parents.”

(CreditDonkey conducted the online survey of 1,254 Americans, age 18 and over between August 8 and August 12, 2014.)

Sarah Johnson is a senior editor at CreditDonkey, a credit card comparison and reviews website. Write to Sarah Johnson at sarah@creditdonkey.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for our latest posts.

Read Next:


Infographic: Money Tips that Grow With Your Children

Kids and Money: Raising Money-Conscious Kids

By Kelly Teh - Tips for Investing
Vaccinations are tough. Battles over vegetables are trying. But few parenting challenges are more daunting than walking through a toy store with a preschooler. To young children, just about every toy is appealing, and the notion that mom or dad ...

Articles on Parents are way better at this one activity than their child-less peers

Attention Span Statistics

Just how crazy conflicted are people's attention span? Are people checking their Facebook page, watching television and talking on the phone at the same time?
Leave a comment about Parents are way better at this one activity than their child-less peers?



Stay informed with free money-saving tips, deals, and reviews from CreditDonkey.

About CreditDonkey
CreditDonkey is a credit card comparison website. We publish data-driven analysis to help you save money & make savvy decisions.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

†Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which CreditDonkey receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). CreditDonkey does not include all companies or all offers that may be available in the marketplace.

*See the card issuer's online application for details about terms and conditions. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. However, all information is presented without warranty. When you click on the "Apply Now" button you can review the terms and conditions on the card issuer's website.

CreditDonkey does not know your individual circumstances and provides information for general educational purposes only. CreditDonkey is not a substitute for, and should not be used as, professional legal, credit or financial advice. You should consult your own professional advisors for such advice.

About Us | Reviews | Deals | Tips | Privacy | Do Not Sell My Info | Terms | Contact Us
(888) 483-4925 | 680 East Colorado Blvd, 2nd Floor | Pasadena, CA 91101
© 2024 CreditDonkey Inc. All Rights Reserved.