Why there’s nothing better than having zero plans for the weekend

The best weekend plans are no plans at all, according to new research. 

A recent study of 2,000 Americans (21+) discovered that staying in is the new going out.

Three in four pollsters agreed there’s nothing better than having no plans for the weekend and 71% also said they look forward to plans being canceled so they can just stay in.

While the large majority of those polled (69%) prefer to stay home on weeknights – 38% shared they continue to be homebodies on Saturdays and Sundays.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of the Idaho Wine Commission, the survey found two in five respondents said their homebody transition started in their 30s and eight in ten Americans polled agreed they actually prefer to have a night in with friends these days rather than go out on the town.

The perfect night in on a weeknight included either binge-watching TV (53%) or hunkering down with a book start to finish (32%) – and even going for a nice walk (30%).

A perfect weekend also includes going for a walk (39%) and reading a good book (36%) – but naturally, more respondents are looking to catch up on some shut-eye and sleep in (35%).

Seventy-two percent said their nights in with friends are much-needed therapy sessions – of which they need an average of three per month to stay sane.

“Americans are deciding home is the best place to relax,” said Moya Dolsby, executive director of the Idaho Wine Commission. “Instead of going out, they’re enjoying downtime or entertaining friends at home.” 

In terms of what makes the perfect friends’ night in – respondents prefer a bottle of wine (70%) over a six pack of beer (22%), a sports game (51%) over a rom-com (37%) and pizza (53%) over wings (35%).

When it comes to wine, however, 71% of those surveyed said they’ll often bring a bottle of wine to a get-together so they can have a backup drink in case they don’t like anything else there –  and red wine drinkers (74%) were more likely to do this than white wine drinkers (65%).

The survey also split respondents based on their wine preferences and found red wine drinkers are the most likely to be the friend to cancel plans so they can stay home (69% vs. 57% of white wine drinkers).

Red wine drinkers (74%) were also most likely to try new things compared to 61% of white wine drinkers, but white wine drinkers (37%) were actually more likely to be extroverts than red wine drinkers (25%).

“Spending time with friends at home is one way we’re coping through the pandemic,” said Dolsby. “It’s no surprise that 70% of Americans agree you should always bring a bottle of wine to a get-together—wine is a symbol of happiness and friendship.” 

AMERICANS’ PERFECT WEEKEND

1. Go for a walk - 39%
2. Read a book start to finish - 36%
3. Sleep in - 35%
4. Binge-watch TV - 34%
5. Play a board game - 21%
6. Watch movies - 20%
7. Play video games - 19%
8. Clean/organize my home - 12%
9. Try a new wine - 12%
10. Cook/bake - 19%
11. Try new cocktails - 11%
12. Puzzles - 11%
13. Garden - 9%
14. Try a new self-care routine - 7%