More than a quarter (26%) of the Dutch no longer want to be online continuously and longs to go back to the time without smartphones. This is apparent from research conducted by Webr among 912 Dutch people. The participants in the survey indicate that it is especially unpleasant to be available 24/7 for work. A large majority of the respondents (52%) indicate that they do not want to be reachable at all. At the moment, 68% of the respondents can be reached by telephone or e-mail outside working hours. Employees are especially accessible in the service sector (78%). In the (semi-)government sector, this percentage is considerably lower at 34%.
The study also reveals some gender differences. For example, 43% of women long for a time without smartphones and e-mail, while this percentage is significantly lower among men at 18%. And there are also large differences in the percentage of 24/7 availability. While 66% of the women do not want to be continuously available, 'only' 35% of the men experience this as a burden. Apparently it is more important for women to separate private and business. As expected, young people have less difficulty with this (32%) than the over-45s. Of the latter group, 58% would rather not be reachable all the time.
