A study conducted by Harris Electronics, paid for by electronic tycoon Sony, has concluded that 62 percent of Americans spend three hours on average per day on the TV, whether it be for movies, shows, or video games. Although not exactly surprising, the results of the study speak volumes about how Americans have begun to spend their time, for better or worse.

The poll includes more than 2000 respondents over the age of 18 living in the United States. Even more alarming is that, aside from the fact that more than 10 percent of the day is spent staring at the TV, half of the respondents admitted that they’d ditch their TV for a later model that would better suit their “necessity.”

One third of the respondents surveyed also are unsatisfied with the sizes of their television sets, while almost another third are even embarrassed of their television’s age. It might be due to many respondents still using older CRT or low-definition television sets, all of which don’t match the fidelity of newer flat panel high definition TVs.

In November last year, Nielsen performed a study of the time Americans watch television and came up with a startling figure of 5 hours per day on average, which puts the average American in front of the screen almost a quarter of the day.

Another study by Nielsen, though, shows a decline in television sets installed in households, perhaps due to the stressful economic times. This is the first drop in television usage in the history of all Nielsen studies, which began in the 1970s.

Further into the study, Nielsen concluded that approximately three percent of all homes in America don’t even have a television set. On the other hand, though, the 18-49 year-old demographic has seen a decline in TV purchases, as they often seek other entertainment venues different from TV shows.