Thank God It’s ... Sunday?
The influence of day of week on subjective wellbeing
Gerard O’Neill, Amárach Research
November 2009
Economic Psychology Ireland © Amárach Research 1

Beginnings
Early Bird Club 2

The Economic Recovery Index
Approx. 1,000 Adults Every Month
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Emotional Measurement
The Emotional Health Index is primarily a composite of the daily experiences of residents of each state. It
includes one item that asks about prior history of diagnosed depression. With the remaining items, respondents
are asked to think about yesterday, from the morning until the end of the day, and consider whom they were
with, what they did, and how they felt. The index is based on responses to the following items:
1. Smiling or laughter
2. Learning or doing something interesting
3. Being treated with respect
4. Enjoyment
5. Happiness
6. Worry
7. Sadness
8. Anger
9. Stress
10. Diagnosed with depression
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Irish Solution
(Since May)
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24/7
Composition of Surveys by Day of Week
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Thank God It’s ...
U-Index = proportion of time a person spends in an
unpleasant state (PATS = telephone version of DRM)
A test of constant U-Index across days is rejected
at 0.01 level.
Almost half of the weekday-weekend difference in
the U-Index can be accounted for by the different
mix of activities that take place on the weekend.
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Getting Emotional
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How Was It For You?
70%
Economy
getting worse
60% Enjoyment
Happiness
50%
Stress
40% Worry
Anxiety
30%
Sadness
20%
Pain
10% Anger
May June July August September October
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Something for the Weekend
70%
Economy getting
worse
60% Enjoyment
Happiness
50%
Stress
40% Worry
Anxiety
30%
Sadness
20%
Pain
10% Anger
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
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We are happier on Sundays
than other days of the week.*
We are less anxious on
Sundays than other days of
the week.*
We feel more stressed on
Wednesdays than other days
of the week.*
Day of week does not appear
to influence levels of
sadness, anger or pain.
And even though day of
week does not appear to
influence enjoyment ...
Early Bird Club 1295% confidence interval
*

Enjoy the Weekend! But Not Too Much!
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Amárach Research
11 Kingswood Business Centre
Citywest Business Campus
Dublin 24
T. (01) 410 5200
E: gerard.oneill@amarach.com
gerard.oneill@
W. www.amarach.com
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