News location:

Canberra Today 12°/15° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Untidiness outstrips infidelity, says survey

MESS and disorganisation at home are the core reasons Australian couples argue, according to new research.

The study reveals 90 per cent of Australian couples argue more about clutter and untidiness than they do infidelity, alcohol consumption, parenting approaches and money and finances.

The “De-clutter, De-stress Study”, for furniture store Ikea, also uncovered a financial benefit to de-cluttering, with the average household saving 7.6sqm – around the same size of an average bedroom – of floor space by properly organising the contents of their homes.

According to the Global Property Guide, the average value of each residential square metre in Australia is $8774, therefore 7.6sqm metres equates to $66,682 worth of space people could be freeing up instead of moving out to gain.

So, who is responsible for this mess that causes so many arguments? It appears we are a nation of martyrs with nearly three quarters of us (71 per cent) believing we clean up more after other people.

Meanwhile, the age-old gender divide rages on with women claiming they clean up more often than their male partners (81 per cent v 62 per cent).

In order to be better organised at home there are a number of things Aussies believe would be a big help. While better organised storage space (55 per cent) and a bigger house (32 per cent) top the list, 20 per cent of respondents feel they would need to live alone, 11 per cent need a different wife, husband or partner and 3 per cent would need help from a psychologist. Moreover, 16 per cent believe nothing would make them better organised.

The study of more than 1000 Australians also found:

• 63 per cent of respondents admitted to being self-confessed “hoarders”, who keep items in case they become useful in the future.

• Less than half (45 per cent) of us claim to be “chuckers”, who like to throw unused items out to reduce clutter in their home.

• Men (67 per cent) are more likely than women (60 per cent) to be hoarders.

• Those aged 50 or over are the most likely to agree that they tend to hoard items in case they are useful in the future.

• There are more hoarders in regional areas (67 per cent) than capital cities (61 per cent).

• Respondents aged 25-49 would save the most floor space if things scattered about the house were properly stored.

 

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews