Enterprise Study Reveals Americans Have a Bad Case of Sunday Scaries

A recent survey from Enterprise Rent-A-Car found that around 70 percent of Americans experience the “The Sunday Scaries,” the phenomena of worrying during the day Sunday about returning to work Monday.

The negative anticipation associated with The Sunday Scaries is causing Americans to miss out on the true joys that weekend experiences can bring. Almost half of the survey respondents said they view Sundays as nothing more than pre-Mondays.

The capacity to enjoy Sundays is impacted by remaining chores (45 percent), worrying about work (31 percent) and dealing with family needs (28 percent). Americans really do work for the weekend, though, with 85 percent of respondents revealing they are optimistic about the weekend by Friday afternoon.

As for the generation most impacted by The Sunday Scaries, 38 percent of millennials worry about work on Sunday, while 34 percent of Baby Boomers and 24 percent of Generation Z said their weekend failed to match their optimism.

The anxiety associated with The Sunday Scaries also impacts others, as 29 percent of respondents said the feeling hurts the people around them. Around 25 percent said they were sad the weekend was over, 17 percent said they felt recharged and 16 percent said they were not looking forward to Monday.

To combat The Sunday Scaries, Enterprise offers a few solutions from the survey insights, including nearly 50 percent of travelers saying road trips make the weekend last longer and 39 percent focusing on family and friends to avoid the Sunday stress.