Average person gets ill three times a year and three-quarters secretly ENJOY being off sick 

Two-thirds of us enjoy staying home sick because it gives us a chance to get some cleaning done around the house, a study suggests.

The average person also calls in sick around three times each year, with millennials and Zoomers most likely to take days off due to illness.

That is according to a representative survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by the market research firm OnePoll. 

A third of respondents said they ‘strongly agree’ and 38 percent said they ‘somewhat agree’ that they enjoy staying at home sick.

Americans say that the best parts about being sick are having more time to clean around the house and having more time to sleep and relax

Researchers polled participants on 27 questions about how often they get sick each year, what illnesses they get and what factors in the home could play a role in their sickness.

Results published today showed that 11 percent of the population did not get sick at all in the last year.

A vast majority report between one and six illnesses yearly – or around 81 percent.

The most frequently reported illness was the common cold (48 percent), with the flu and strep throat in joint second at 30 percent.

Only one-in-five Americans reported a Covid sickness over the past year, the same amount that had respiratory syncytial virus and less than the number that reported a whooping cough illness. 

The most likely culprit for spreading illness are children, with 22 percent blaming their youngsters for getting them ill.

Some parts of being sick are worse than others, though.

When asked what their biggest pet peeve was when sick, 35 percent of respondents said it was not being able to enjoy their favorite foods.

Younger people, those aged 18 to 41, were more likely to cite food as one of the downsides.

One-third of survey participants said they did not enjoy taking bad-tasting medication, including 45 percent of people over the age of 77.

Another reported downside was being unable to participate in hobbies, with 32 percent citing it as a pet peeve.

The worst parts about being sick are having to take bad-tasting medicine, not being able to eat their favorite food or take part in hobbies

While being sick comes with aches and pains, missed events and just an overall bad feeling, many Americans secretly enjoy it.

Younger people were more likely to enjoy being at home sick, with 79 percent of participants 18 to 25 agreeing.

Of those aged 26 to 41, 76 percent admitted to enjoying being sick, and 70 percent of people 42 to 57.

On the other hand, only 65 percent of elderly people – those aged 77 or older – enjoyed a sick day.

When asked why a person enjoys staying at home while sick – skipping out on work, school and other obligations – many cited household chores.

Just over 40 percent of respondents said the day off gave them more time to clean around the house – with younger people significantly more likely to answer this way.

Two-in-five respondents also said they enjoyed disconnecting from social media, though only 21 percent of people 18 to 25 agreed with this sentiment.

Other reasons included getting to relax and sleep (38 percent citing it as a reason), binge-watching (33 percent) and being pampered (32 percent). 

Around 32 percent also cited the enjoyment of calling out of work. This group was most likely to be between the ages 26 to 57 – with 33 percent of those respondents giving it as a reason.