due to the European Union Working Time Directive, which passed in the early 1990s. Several countries offer even more by law before paid public holidays come into play, which can add up to more than a month of business days in vacation time per year.
But not all U.S. workers say they'd welcome longer vacation policies: 21% of Americans say companies should not adopt extended PTO policies in their workplace, while the remaining respondents say they don't know or don't have an opinion. The survey didn't specifically address the concerns of those against extended time off work, says Ellyn Briggs, brands analyst at Morning Consult. However, in responses to a separate question about people's attitudes toward a four-day workweek, roughly half of American workers say they'd use their extra time to catch up on work or learn a work-related skill.
Separately, 41% of U.S. workers report being more satisfied in their career today than before, which is nearly double the share of those who feel less satisfied in their career today, according to Morning Consult data. "These data points suggest a portion of employed U.S. adults generally enjoy their work and seek new opportunities to improve upon it," Briggs says. "Extended periods off may hold little appeal for this group.
That being said, generous vacations aren't the only European practice that Americans say should become the norm here: 65% of U.S. workers would like to see extended lunch breaks, 62% want workweeks shorter than 40 hours, and 51% support slower employee response time outside of work hours, similar to many labor laws common throughout Europe.