Over 80% of Men and Women in their 30s-60s Caring for Family Members Report Not Having Enough Free Time for Themselves!

Work & Care Balance Research Institute Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Mie Waki), which provides the online community "Carer's Concier" for caregivers, conducted a "Survey on Self-Sacrifice and Introspection Among Caregivers" targeting men and women in their 30s to 60s who are caring for family members. This survey revealed the reality of how caregivers in their 30s-60s secure their own free time and time for introspection, the opportunities they have to express their true feelings about their caregiving lives, and their awareness of facing their own true selves.

Background

Trends such as journaling (writing for introspection) and mindfulness, which involve facing oneself, are popular. However, "caregivers" who are busy with daily family care may be the furthest from these trends. It is thought that many caregivers lose time for introspection, asking "What do I want to do?" and fall into a situation of "self-sacrifice" where they have no choice but to give up on their life's hopes, such as travel or language learning. Therefore, Work & Care Balance Research Institute Inc. conducted the "Survey on Self-Sacrifice and Introspection Among Caregivers" targeting men and women in their 30s to 60s who are caring for family members.

Survey Summary

- Over 80% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members responded that they do not have enough free time for themselves in their daily lives.

- Over 40% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members do not even have 10 minutes a day to purely think about "What do I want to do now?" or "my future," or to face themselves.

- The main things given up due to caregiving are "travel" and "hobbies (e.g., supporting idols) / entertainment."

- Over 55% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members responded that they have "no opportunity at all" or "not much opportunity" to objectively put into words their daily stress and anxieties from caregiving, or their inner voice and true feelings.

- The main reasons for not having opportunities to objectively put into words daily stress and anxieties from caregiving, or their inner voice and true feelings, are "thinking it won't be resolved or understood even if I talk about it" and "not knowing who to talk to."

- Over 60% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members responded that if there were a place or system to visualize and face their true feelings, their feelings about daily life and caregiving would become "more positive."

Survey Overview

Survey Date: June 19, 2026

Survey Method: Internet Survey

Target Audience: Men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members

Number of Respondents: 331

Monitor Provider: RC Research Data

* The sum of response ratios may not be 100.0% because the second decimal place is rounded off.

Over 80% of Men and Women in their 30s-60s Caring for Family Members Report Not Having Enough Free Time for Themselves in Their Daily Lives

First, in response to the question "Do you have enough free time (for hobbies, relaxation, self-investment, etc.) for yourself in your daily life?", the results were: 1st place was "Not enough, but I have some" at 42.0%, 2nd place was "Not much" at 31.7%, 3rd place was "Enough" at 18.4%, and 4th place was "Not at all" at 7.9%. Summing the percentages for 1st, 2nd, and 4th place responses gives 81.6%, revealing that over 80% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members do not have enough free time for themselves in their daily lives.

Over 40% of Men and Women in their 30s-60s Caring for Family Members Do Not Even Have 10 Minutes a Day to Purely Think About "What Do I Want to Do Now?" or "My Future," or to Face Themselves

Next, in response to the question "How much time do you spend each day purely thinking about 'What do I want to do now?' or 'my future,' or facing yourself (time for introspection *including time for diaries or journaling)?", the results were: 1st place was "1 hour or more" at 25.7%, 2nd place was "Not at all" at 19.6%, and 3rd place was "Less than 10 minutes to 30 minutes" at 18.1%. While "1 hour or more" was the most frequent response, summing the percentages for "Less than 5 minutes to 10 minutes," "Less than 5 minutes," and "Not at all" gives 40.2%. This result revealed that over 40% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members do not even have 10 minutes a day to purely think about "What do I want to do now?" or "my future," or to face themselves.

The Main Things Given Up Due to Caregiving Are "Travel" and "Hobbies (e.g., Supporting Idols) / Entertainment"

Next, in response to the question "What have you temporarily or completely given up (had to give up) due to caregiving?", the results were: 1st place was "Travel" at 40.5%, 2nd place was "Hobbies (e.g., supporting idols) / Entertainment" at 39.3%, and 3rd place was "I haven't given up anything" at 30.5%. These results indicate that the main things given up due to caregiving are "travel" and "hobbies (e.g., supporting idols) / entertainment."

Over 55% of Men and Women in their 30s-60s Caring for Family Members Report Having "No Opportunity at All" or "Not Much Opportunity" to Objectively Put into Words Their Daily Stress and Anxieties, or Their Inner Voice and True Feelings

Furthermore, in response to the question "Do you have opportunities to objectively put into words (e.g., talk to someone, write in a notebook) your daily stress and anxieties from caregiving, or your inner voice and true feelings?", the results were: 1st place was "A little" at 33.5%, 2nd place was "None at all" at 28.7%, and 3rd place was "Not much" at 27.8%. While "A little" was the most frequent response, summing the percentages for 2nd and 3rd place gives 56.5%. This result revealed that over 55% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members responded that they have "no opportunity at all" or "not much opportunity" to objectively put into words their daily stress and anxieties from caregiving, or their inner voice and true feelings.

The Main Reasons for Not Having Opportunities to Objectively Put into Words Daily Stress and Anxieties from Caregiving, or Their Inner Voice and True Feelings, Are "Thinking It Won't Be Resolved or Understood Even If I Talk About It" and "Not Knowing Who to Talk To."

Next, among those who responded that they do not have opportunities to objectively put into words their daily stress and anxieties from caregiving, or their inner voice and true feelings, the reasons given were: 1st place was "Thinking it won't be resolved or understood even if I talk about it" at 54.0%, 2nd place was "Not knowing who to talk to" at 32.6%, and 3rd place was "Not having the time or mental space to sort out my feelings" at 32.1%. These results indicate that the main reasons for not having opportunities to objectively put into words daily stress and anxieties from caregiving, or their inner voice and true feelings, are "thinking it won't be resolved or understood even if I talk about it" and "not knowing who to talk to."

Over 60% of Men and Women in their 30s-60s Caring for Family Members Respond That If There Were a Place or System to Visualize and Face Their True Feelings, Their Feelings About Daily Life and Caregiving Would Become "More Positive."

Finally, in response to the question "If there were a place or system to visualize and face your true feelings of 'what you want to be,' 'what you want to become,' and 'what you want to do,' would your feelings about daily life and caregiving become more positive?", the results were: 1st place was "Somewhat agree" at 47.7%, 2nd place was "Somewhat disagree" at 31.4%, and 3rd place was "Strongly agree" at 14.8%. Summing the percentages for 1st and 3rd place gives 62.5%. This result revealed that over 60% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members responded that if there were a place or system to visualize and face their true feelings of "what they want to be," "what they want to become," and "what they want to do," their feelings about daily life and caregiving would become "more positive" to varying degrees.

Conclusion

This survey revealed that over 80% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members do not have enough free time for themselves in their daily lives. Furthermore, over 40% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members do not even have 10 minutes a day to purely think about "What do I want to do now?" or "my future," and the main things they have given up due to caregiving are "travel" and "hobbies (e.g., supporting idols) / entertainment." Additionally, over 55% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members responded that they have "no opportunity at all" or "not much opportunity" to objectively put into words their daily stress and anxieties from caregiving, or their inner voice and true feelings, and the main reasons for this are "thinking it won't be resolved or understood even if I talk about it" and "not knowing who to talk to." Moreover, over 60% of men and women in their 30s-60s caring for family members responded that if there were a place or system to visualize and face their true feelings, their feelings about daily life and caregiving would become "more positive."

In response to the lack of "personal time" and "opportunities to express true feelings" revealed by this survey, Work & Care Balance Research Institute Inc.'s "Carer's Concier" supports caregivers in living their lives authentically. This service is an online community service designed to help caregivers not give up on their "what they want to be," "what they want to become," and "what they want to do," which are often lost due to caregiving. It offers a reflective journaling tool called "My Story" where users answer one question a day, a member-exclusive community forum, and individual chat consultations. Through interactions in this safe space, we support caregivers in facing their true feelings and living their days positively.

Supervisor

Work & Care Balance Research Institute Inc.

Carer's Concier Operations Manager

Mie Waki

An active caregiver with over 20 years of experience, living with her mother who has dementia. While repeatedly experiencing career changes due to caregiving, her life was saved by caregiver support. She is uniquely dedicated to caregiver support by caregivers for caregivers, aiming to spread caregiver support throughout Japan and deliver it to those in need. She works daily to ensure caregivers can determine their own lives and be respected for their human rights to live healthy and cultural lives.

Survey Conducting Company

Work & Care Balance Research Institute Inc.

Location: 151-0053 Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Yoyogi 1-25-5 BIZ SMART Yoyogi 407 Representative Director: Mie Waki Business Activities: Caregiver Support Business URL: https://carers-concier.net/

Carer's Concier

"Carer's Concier," operated by Work & Care Balance Research Institute Inc., is an online community service that supports "caregivers" in living their own lives without isolation. It provides information exchange among caregivers and various consultation support from experts. For details, please see below.

Carer's Concier: https://carers-concier.net/sukumane/page/top Service Explanation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7itsnjByw8