Americans make space for work, at home

Whether it's a deluxe study outfitted with the latest PC, fax machine, and conference phone, or simply a corner of the living room dedicated as a workspace, a rising number of Americans have what they consider to be a "home office," according to one recent study.

A survey of 1,000 Internet users commissioned by keyboard- and mousemaker Logitech, found that 82 percent of those polled had space designated as a home office, and 69 percent said they use that space at least once a day. Thirty-five percent said they had a separate room designated solely as an office.

Other findings from the study:

• The most common activities respondents said they conducted from the home office: surfing the Web (85 percent), sending e-mails to friends and family (84 percent), and paying bills (70 percent). Just 18 percent reported they run a business from home; 19 percent said they telecommute.

• Forty-three percent of respondents said they spend more time in their home offices now than a year ago; 11 percent said they spend less.

• The most important quality that respondents said they wanted their offices to provide: comfort (86 percent), followed by "good use of technology" (45 percent).