Busy Brits breed busy kids

Britain is becoming a nation of all work and no play. Research carried out by American Express Insurance Services has revealed that kids who have busy working parents are 20% more likely to be thrown into a busy life in the fast lane themselves than those whose parents don't work.

Whilst previous research from American Express Insurance Services revealed that more than a third of workers are so busy each week that they can't even find the time to cook a meal from scratch (34%), these new findings outline that children are following in their parents' busy footsteps - only 17 per cent of children say they have enough spare time to play each week after completing all of their extra-curricular activities.

With the debate over whether families should have more choice in order to better balance their work and home lives remaining high on the political agenda American Express Insurance services asked a GB representative of 1,000 kids aged 8 - 15 years which activities they do on top of their studies, and how often do they do them. The results show a young generation of busy Brits, following in their parents footsteps and finding that there are never enough hours in the day.

Four in ten kids are mimicking their parents' habits of doing work outside office hours by keeping themselves busy with additional academic activities outside school time (39%).

More than one in ten kids take part in at least four activities outside of school per week (12%) and almost one in three kids do three or more extra-curricular activities each week (30%) suggesting that modern day kids have less and less time for childhood. Examples of extra curricular activities include sports, music, drama, dance, Brownies and Boy Scouts.

However, previous research carried out by American Express Insurance Services revealed that 87 per cent of kids vow that they do not want to end up living a life as stressful as their parents do and letting their family life suffer as a result of an unhealthy work life balance.

Chris Rolland, Head of American Express Insurance Services commented: "We recognise that to a growing number of Brits the demands of a busy life can take its toll as they struggle to find enough hours in the day, and our latest research shows that even our youngest generation are struggling to balance their busy work and home lives.

"Given our drive for a jam packed lifestyle from an increasingly young age, we understand that family time is more precious than ever. American Express is more than just a card; we offer insurance for busy lives and take the hassle out of protecting financial safeguards, leaving customers with a peace of mind and more time to spend with their families."