Watching a favorite team in the championship game can be a highlight of the year for many people, but 24% of Americans would sacrifice a victory for their favorite team if it meant they could avoid the stress of frozen pipes, a faulty furnace or cable TV outage, or other unplanned service calls according to national survey data released by Verizon Connect. Millennials (26%) were the most likely of any segment to sacrifice a day off from work or school rather than have an unexpected service issue. Respondents were also willing to give up many of life’s other pleasures, including:
- Binge-watching their favorite movies or TV shows (33%);
- A favorite indulgence, such as alcohol or chocolate (27%)
- Birthday presents (19%)
- Their next day off from work or school (18%)
- Their next vacation (16%)
- Time spent with their families (15%)
Other than the pressure of a service emergency during the winter holidays, respondents were the most concerned about service emergencies impacting their wedding (39%) or important summer events, such as the Labor Day and Fourth of July weekends (36%). Respondents were also stressed about service emergencies during birthdays (28%), seasonal parties such as Halloween or St. Patrick’s Day (24%) and religious gatherings (21%). Surprisingly, Mother’s Day (14%), Valentine’s Day (8%) and Father’s Day (8%) all ranked lower than work functions (17%) in respondents’ minds when it came to service emergencies.