Where is the best place to hide when looking for privacy at home?

Half of all Americans hide out in their bathroom when they want some much-needed peace and quiet, new research suggests.

In a recent survey of 2,000 respondents, 51% admitted they go into their bathroom when they want privacy from other members of their household.

And the more people there are, the more frequently it happens — so much that parents in cohabiting relationships are almost three times as likely to seek refuge in the bathroom than childless, single respondents (62% vs. 23%).

Not surprisingly, children ages 3 to 12 stood out as the loudest members of the household (61%) — twice as loud as teenagers (36%) and three times as loud as adults (23%).

The survey, which was conducted on OnePoll on behalf of Masonite, also suggests that the average respondent needs between four and five hours of private time per day to feel their best.

Seventy-seven percent still need that private time even when they’re hosting family or friends in their house, and almost 81% said it’s important that they create quiet or private spaces within their own home.

However, two in three (63%) claimed that sound travels relatively easily through their home — enough that half (50%) frequently hear noises in other parts of the house when on a phone or video call.

Commonly cited sources of noise included TVs and sound systems (70%), appliances (64%) and other members of the household (63%).

“When families are working, resting, learning and playing together at home, it can be chaotic,” said Jennifer Renaud, Chief Marketing Officer of Masonite. “It is important to create quiet spaces that provide the sense of peace and privacy that everyone craves.”

With that in mind, it makes sense that the bathroom serves as a convenient escape — which may be why 26% always close the bathroom door behind them no matter what they’re doing.

Still, a whopping nine in 10 (90%) still worry about concealing the sounds they make in the bathroom — most notably showering or bathing (50%), using the toilet (46%) and “singing in the shower” (43%).

So what happens when they overhear something embarrassing themselves? Almost one in three (29%) said they just pretend it never happened, and almost twice as many (43%) turn on music to drown out the sound.

“Closing a door — or adding one, such as a sliding barn door — can help keep sound where it belongs, but it will be most effective if it is a hinged door with a solid core,” said Renaud. “Sound travels more easily through a hollow core door, so choose a solid core door which is designed with more sound-dampening material.”

TOP SOURCES OF NOISE IN THE AVERAGE HOME

1. TVs, sound systems, etc. - 70%
2. Noisy appliances (i.e. washing machines) - 64%
3. My household members/people I live with - 63%
4. Pets - 62%
5. Musical instruments - 57%
6. The house itself (i.e. floorboards creaking) - 33% 

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 general population Americans was commissioned by Masonite between November 1 and November 2, 2022. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).