Samsung has delved into the lifestyles and habits of Australians in exploring the changing face of the Australian home, today launching a study investigating the views of Australians across a range of home habits, including home technology, cooking, cleaning and entertaining.Among the key findings of Samsung’s Australians@HOME research, which canvassed the views of 1,000 Australians, was that 62 per cent of Australians identify saving money on bills as the most important benefit of the connected home.
Energy savings (45 per cent) was also ranked as an important benefit, along with convenience (43 per cent). The research additionally found that the average Australian household disposes more than $1,000 worth of uneaten food each year.
“The Australians@HOME research has given us the unique opportunity to better understand how we as nation are living today and explore how appliances and technology can help play a role in supporting Australian lives around the home, whether that be getting their children’s sport uniform washed in time or helping keep food fresh,” said Mike Lilly, Samsung Australia head of home appliances, commented.
“The pressures and demands of day-to-day life are constantly changing around us and can vary across households. It’s immensely important for Samsung to understand how our technology can support the evolving needs of the home, as well select, calibrate or design product features for Australia.”
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The research investigated four areas of Australian homes:
– Cooking in the Australian Home: 24 per cent of Australians admitted to throwing away fresh vegetables, despite also revealing a growing demand for buying fresh food. Food wastage is also particularly higher in NSW, with households wasting an average of $1,475 worth of food per year, almost twice that of Queensland households.
– Entertaining in the Australian Home: While 94 per cent of Australians are happy to entertain family and friends at home, saving money still remains a high priority – 55 per cent of Australians prefer entertaining at home because it saves them money, with 45 per cent believing it is more sociable.
– Australian Attitudes to Cleaning: 33 per cent believe technology will make their household chores easier in the future. Currently, Australians spend an average of 12.35 hours per week on housework. In terms of household chores, 48 per cent feel that technology will make the task of vacuuming easier. In the laundry, 48 per cent of all 18-24 year-olds have had at least one item damaged in a washing machine in the last year, and 35 per cent of all Australians believe technology will make laundry tasks easier.
– Connected Home Technology: While the research reveals that most Australians are aware of the benefits of their smartphone or tablet, Samsung states that it believes there is an equal opportunity to raise awareness of home appliances as being smart or connected devices. While 81 per cent of Australians see their TV as a smart device, only 44 per cent are aware of the benefits and features of a smart refrigerator. Acknowledgement of other home appliances as smart devices is even lower, with only 21 per cent aware of the oven being a connected device.
