Modern Patience Thresholds Lower Than Ever Before, Technology To Blame
Hurry
Up! Modern Patience Thresholds Lower Than Ever Before, Technology to Blame
by
John Anderer September 4, 2019
Survey shows average person grows frustrated
after waiting 16 seconds for a webpage to load, 25 seconds for traffic signal
to change.
LONDON — Patience is a
virtue, but it’s becoming an exceedingly rare quality in modern society.
According to a new survey of 2,000 British adults, all of the luxuries of
modern life have made most people incredibly impatient — across pretty much every
aspect of their lives. Three quarters of those surveyed said they believe the
dominance of digital technology, such as smartphones and on-demand TVs, are to
blame for this ever growing lack of patience.
Respondents reported becoming frustrated after just 16 seconds
of waiting for a web page to load, and after 25 seconds of waiting for a
traffic light to change.
Commissioned by stationery supply company BIC, the survey revealed that 38% of respondents had
lost their patience while trying to take notes and keep up with a speaker
during a class or work meeting.
Often times, all it takes is mere seconds of waiting for people
to lose their cool. For example, respondents reported losing their temper after
just 20 seconds of waiting for ink to dry on a greeting card. Additionally, it
only takes 22 seconds for people to start cursing their computers or TVs if a
show or movie doesn’t immediately start streaming correctly. Surveyed Brits
also reported losing their cool after just 18 seconds of searching for a pen.
Even a cup of tea, an undeniable symbol of British leisure
time, incited anger among respondents if the kettle took more than 28 seconds
to boil.
Surprisingly, despite all of that impatience, the survey
revealed that most people are still willing to wait a few days for a package or
letter in the mail.
“Our research highlighted that we’re happy waiting just 2.8 days
for an online grocery order to arrive, and 3.7 for a cherished handwritten bit
of mail,” comments Jo Hollins, head of marketing & category management at
BIC U.K. and Ireland, in a statement. “Thanks to technology, modern life moves
faster than ever but it also seems we’re still willing to wait that little bit longer for a
good old-fashioned handwritten letter – an extra day in fact.”
So how about going out for a nice meal or drink? Respondents
said any longer than 14 minutes spent waiting for ordered food to arrive at a
restaurant would seriously try their patience, and seven minutes or more spent
trying to order a drink would be enough to send them searching for a different
pub.
Much of this impatience can probably be traced back to the
convenience and instant gratification of the internet, so it wasn’t a surprise
that respondents said they expect to receive a refund for an online purchase in
no less than four days and receive replies to “important” emails within 90
minutes. Furthermore, if a phone takes longer than 11 minutes of charging to
turn on, that’s “too long.”
Also, among other findings, the survey revealed that respondents
expect to pick up their luggage after a flight within 13 minutes, and expect
any and all customer complaints they may file to be answered within two hours
and 18 minutes.
Waiting in line seemed to especially annoy respondents, with 45%
admitting they had lost their temper after waiting an “excessive” amount of
time. But, what exactly is excessive? Respondents said just 30 seconds of waiting
in a line would be enough to try their patience, and half said they are likely
to switch to a different line if the one they are in isn’t moving fast enough.
Surprisingly, 95% of respondents still admitted that they
believe patience is a virtue.
The survey was conducted by OnePoll.
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