Nearly two-thirds of Americans watch over 3 hours of TV per day

In a culture where obesity is such a prevalent issue that television networks create reality shows around people losing weight, many Americans are spending over three hours a day simply staring at a television screen.

Based off a study that was conducted by Harris Interactive and paid for by Sony Electronics, approximately 62 percent of Americans spend three hours a day using the television for movies, shows and video games. Harris Interactive polled a group of 2,574 U.S. adults over the age of 18 during early November. Despite spending about 12 percent of each day staring at the television screen, over half of the respondents would be happy to ditch their current television for a model that better suits their daily needs. Nearly one-third of the group are dissatisfied with the size of their current television and 31 percent felt embarrassed due to the age of their television. These owners are likely using standard definition televisions rather than a newer high definition, flat panel television. In addition, over a fourth of the respondents are dissatisfied with the features in their current television.

While a previous study from Nielsen during November 2010 found that Americans were spending about five hours in front of the television each day, another Nielsen study that was released earlier today found that the number of televisions installed in households is actually declining. This is the first recorded drop since Nielsen started tracking television usage in the 1970s. The number has dropped from 115.9 million homes in 2011 to an estimated 114.7 million in 2012. While the number of households is actually increasing across the United States, this constitutes a one percent decline in the television install base. The study also found that three percent of American homes don’t even own a television.

Surely a bit of news to make advertisers sad, the 18-49 demographic also dropped by 2.7 percent when it comes to TV ownership. It’s highly possible that young adults are turning to alternative methods to consuming television shows. A college student, for instance, could catch up on a recently aired episode of Family Guy with an iPad or laptop as well as a subscription to Hulu Plus.