THE VACATION SHAME GAME IS KEEPING AMERICAN MILLENNIALS FROM TAKING PAID TIME OFF

Allianz Travel Insurance Survey Reveals More Than Half of Americans Haven’t Vacationed in a Year and the Importance of Taking One is Declining

Americans, especially millennials, are not taking their paid time off and remain vacation deprived due to feeling negative emotions when asking for time off, according to the eighth annual Allianz Travel Insurance Vacation Confidence Index* released by Allianz Global Assistance.

The survey found that one in four Americans (25 percent) report feeling negative emotions when asking for time off from their employers, and millennials (aged 18 to 34) are the most likely to feel nervous, guilty, afraid or shameful because of a time-off request.

Respondents reported that the most common reasons they had negative feelings when asking for time off included:  they did not want to disappoint their immediate teams and peers or direct boss and managers, the senior management team expects them not to take all their vacation time, and self-guilt.

These negative emotions could be causing Americans to hold off on taking a vacation. The survey found that 42 percent of Americans do not take all their allotted paid vacation time, and nearly half (48 percent) are aged 18 to 34, even though millennials and Gen X’ers are more likely than Baby Boomers to feel that annual vacations are important.

“Many Americans, millennials in particular, are leaving vacation days on the table which could be the result of vacation shaming – the sense of shame, guilt or other negative feelings received from co-workers for taking a vacation,” said Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA. “We were surprised to see that when compared to older generations, millennials more commonly succumb to these negative feelings by choosing not to take all their entitled vacation days. Meanwhile, Gen X’ers place the same amount of importance on vacations, but seem to have the system better figured out because they are the most likely to take all their allotted vacation time.”

Millennials are not alone in being vacation deprived. Overall an earlier release of the survey** found that it’s been more than a year since half of Americans (53 percent) last took a vacation and nearly four in ten (37 percent) haven’t taken a vacation in more than two years.

The survey also showed that the delay on taking a vacation could correlate to the decreasing significance put on annual vacations. A shocking 41 percent of Americans say annual vacations are not very (18 percent) or not at all (23 percent) important to them, a six-point increase from 2016.

A video highlighting the survey’s findings is available for download.

The Vacation Confidence Index was conducted by national polling firm Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Allianz Global Assistance USA. A vacation is defined as a leisure trip of at least a week to a place that is 100 miles or more from one’s home. 

Allianz Global Assistance offers travel insurance*** through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, other travel suppliers and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz Global Assistance and the policies offered for travelers, please visit: www.allianztravelinsurance.com. 

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*Methodology: These are findings of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Allianz Global Assistance. For this survey, a sample of 1,009 Americans from the Ipsos I-Say panel was interviewed from May 3rd to May 5th, 2017. The precision of online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the results are accurate to within +/- 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had all American adults been polled. Quota sampling and weighting were employed in order to balance demographics and ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the actual U.S. population, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Credibility intervals are wider among subsets of the population.

**Methodology: These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Allianz from June 1 for 4, 2017. For the survey, a nationally representative sample of 1,009 randomly-selected adults residing in the U.S. was interviewed by random-digit dialing telephone via the ORC Caravan omnibus. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate within ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire population of adults in the U.S. been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/gender composition reflects that of the actual U.S. population according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Allianz Global Assistance USA 

Allianz Global Assistance USA (AGA Service Company) is a leading consumer specialty insurance and assistance company.  We provide insurance to over 25 million customers annually and are best known for our Allianz Travel Insurance plans. In addition to travel insurance, Allianz Global Assistance USA offers tuition insurance, event ticket protection, registration protection for endurance events and unique travel assistance services such as international medical assistance and concierge services. The company also serves as an outsource provider for in-bound call center services and claims administration for property and casualty insurers and credit card companies. 

To learn more about Allianz Travel Insurance, please visit www.allianztravelinsurance.com or Like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AllianzTravelInsuranceUS. 

*** - Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply to all plans.  Plans are available only to U.S. residents.  Not all plans are available in all jurisdictions.  For a complete description of the coverage and benefit limits offered under your plan, carefully review your plan’s Letter of Confirmation/Declarations and Certificate of Insurance/Policy.  Insurance coverage is underwritten by BCS Insurance Company (OH, Administrative Office: Oakbrook Terrace, IL), rated "A-" (Excellent) by A.M. Best Co., under BCS Form No. 52.201 series or 52.401 series, or Jefferson Insurance Company (NY, Administrative Office: Richmond, VA), rated "A+" (Superior) by A.M. Best Co., under Jefferson Form No. 101-C series or 101-P series, depending on state of residence.  Allianz Global Assistance and Allianz Travel Insurance are brands of AGA Service Company.  AGA Service Company is the licensed producer and administrator of these plans and an affiliate of Jefferson Insurance Company.  The insured shall not receive any special benefit or advantage due to the affiliation between AGA Service Company and Jefferson Insurance Company.  Non-insurance benefits/products are provided and serviced by AGA Service Company.  Allianz Global Assistance does not endorse or sponsor any of the above non-affiliated companies.

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