HOW WOULD THE

INTRODUCTION OF A
SIESTA IMPACT SPORT,
SLEEP, PRODUCTIVITY AND
OTHER FACTORS OF
AUSTRALIAN CULTURE?
2

Introduction

Siestas are a short period in the afternoon when many countries encourage
napping before resuming activity in the late afternoon. It has been suggested
that such sleeping patterns are positive, as China Panel Family Studies
concluded that those who engage in siestas have a wage 3.03% higher than
their counterparts1. However, siestas are not widely practiced and in some
samples, have been proven to be detrimental2. Researchers Valencia-Flores, et.
al. determined that siestas are not used by Mexican students to increase
productivity, stating, “Results indicated a number of parallels between the
reported sleep habits of these students and those reported from other cultures
at latitudes far to the north…3”, showing that siestas produce mixed,
inconclusive results, depending on culture.
This report analyses qualitative data collected about the potential introduction
of siestas in Australia. Subsequently, the research question is ‘How would the
introduction of a siesta impact sport, sleep, productivity and other factors of
Australian culture?’
The investigation’s variables were controlled where practicable, as the room,
groups and 45-minute time limit were kept constant. Furthermore, both groups
were given the same prompts, with an assigned scribe and facilitator ensuring
that data was collected methodically and ethically. Some extraneous variables
were present, however, as Group 1’s data collection occurred in the morning,
whereas Group 2 convened in the afternoon. As daytime sleepiness naturally
increases between 2:00pm and 4:00pm, a lack of focus or positive bias towards
siestas may have skewed Group 2’s answers, just as Group 1 may have been
biased against siestas due to their comparative alertness. Responses vary in
quality, relevance and length depending on individual understanding of
questions and interest in data collection. Similarly, recorded answers were
subject to the scribe’s bias, whose personal engagement with the data

1
Li, X., Shi, Y. and Wu, Y., 2021. The Economic Returns of Siesta: Evidence from China. [Online]. Available at:
https://ssrn.com/abstract=3974581 [Accessed 3 April 2022].
2
Valencia-Flores, M., Castano, V., Campos, R. and Rosenthal, L., 1998. The siesta culture concept is not
supported by the sleep habits of urban Mexican students. [Online]. 1-9. Available at:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1046/j.1365-2869.1998.00087.x [Accessed 3 April 2022].
3
Valencia-Flores, M., Castano, V., Campos, R. and Rosenthal, L., 1998. The siesta culture concept is not
supported by the sleep habits of urban Mexican students. [Online]. 1-9. Available at:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1046/j.1365-2869.1998.00087.x [Accessed 3 April 2022].

The perceived effects of siestas on Australian way of life

3

collection, interpretation of comments and capacity for direct transcription

may have posed extraneous variables.

The perceived effects of siestas on Australian way of life

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Results
Table 1: Factor analysis of participants' responses to the hypothetical introduction of siestas in Australia

Themes Illustrative comments Number of responses

Affects sleep/wake “Wouldn’t work… 11 (27.5% of responses)
circadian rhythm wouldn’t be able to sleep
at 1 or 2”, “Some people
don’t want to nap at
those times…”
Affects “People wouldn’t work 10 (25% of responses)
work/school as hard”, “Might make
productivity for better
concentration and
work”
Affects other factors “You would hit native 8 (20% of responses)
animals”, “More time
at home so improved
or worse[ned] family
relationship”
Affects economy “Get fewer open hours 6 (15% of responses)
for business (less money
coming into the
economy)”, “More night
life and open latter [sic]”
Affects fitness and “Trainings for sports 5 (12.5% of responses)
sporting would be shifted”,
commitments “More outside time
[and] exercise maybe”
Table 1 shows that 5 themes of the sleep/wake circadian rhythm, work/school
productivity, the economy, fitness and sporting commitments and other factors
can be extracted from data collection for the prompting question “What effects
would the introduction of this idea [siestas] to Australia have on our way of
life?”.

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Discussion

Following content analysis of qualitative data, Table 1 shows five recurring

themes. Interestingly, the most frequently occurring answer was ‘affects sleep-
wake circadian rhythm’, with a frequency of 11 answers, suggesting that a
siesta’s effects on sleep is a primary concern for recruits. Illustrative comments
such as, “…you would go to bed later”, imply that participants believed a siesta
would affect their sleep onset time, possibly detracting from the quantity of
sleep received. The response “Some people don’t want to nap at those times”
supports this, indicating that many participants’ sleep-wake circadian rhythm
could not easily adapt to a siesta. All responses to this theme provided negative
impacts on the sleep-wake circadian rhythm, contributing to the consensus that
Australian siestas would be unsuccessful. Participants also cited ‘work/school
productivity’ as highly affected if a siesta was introduced at a frequency of 25%.
Notably, responses to this theme highlighted mixed opinions present within the
sample. This notion is supported by the illustrative comment, “It could make
you more productive at night”, showing that some participants considered an
afternoon siesta as a positive influence on work/school productivity. Other
participants perceived siestas as detrimental, implied through the illustrative
comment, “You’re going to get nothing done…”. It is evident that work/school
productivity was thought to be a greatly affected factor if an Australian siesta
was introduced, however participants provided neither affirmative nor negative
answers to the research question. Additionally, holding 20% of responses was
‘affects other factors’. There were several additional factors which were
sporadically mentioned, highlighted by illustrative comments such as “Less road
accidents because of less moving around” and “…improved or worse[ned] family
relationship”. The infrequency of such comments indicates a lack of
significance, despite their large collective percentage. Furthermore, ‘affects
other factors’ comprising a large percentage of responses shows a lack of
agreement and a divergence from the research question. Two other themes,
‘Affects economy’ and ‘Affects fitness and sporting commitments’ held a
percentage of responses, however the themes were not discussed frequently or in
enough detail to provide conclusive answers. Interestingly, the low number of
references to sporting commitments was unexpected, illustrating that the
research question, which included sport as an affected factor, was not well
supported in this instance. It is evident that, similarly to the research of China
Family Panel Studies and Valencia-Flores, et. al., opinions as to possible effects

The perceived effects of siestas on Australian way of life

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of siestas are inconclusive and highly dependent on culture, with results

showing unexpected and divided opinions within the sample.
Several extraneous variables lie within the investigation’s conduction, as the
invigilator left data collection rooms to minimize observer bias. It is therefore
unclear how productive and relevant the conversations were, and whether all
participants contributed equally and honestly. Furthermore, observer bias may
still have skewed results, as other participants’ presence may have encouraged
socially desirable answers, decreasing the external and ecological validity of
results. Additionally, participants were unnaturally divided into focus groups
depending on whether they listened to white noise, rendering the data unreliable
and ecologically invalid. In retrospect, it is evident that discerning the data’s
validity is impossible, as qualitative data is entirely subject to an individual’s
psychological and social knowledge, and does not necessarily represent the
valid, scientific truth. Furthermore, the investigation’s data collection occurred
across two days and at different times, altering the opinions, emotions and
alertness of each focus group involved and decreasing general reliability.
Therefore, a low degree of validity and reliability is evident within the
investigation.
With a sample of approximately 30 participants, the investigation’s sample size
is small, decreasing its external validity. The sample was selected through
convenience sampling and is unrepresentative, consisting entirely of 13–18-
year-old psychology students with similar ethnic, religious and socio-economic
backgrounds. Additionally, the sample coincidentally favored female
participants, with 21 female to 9 male recruits skewing the data’s ecological and
external validity and omitting many demographics which would be affected by a
change to Australian culture. Furthermore, the participants had recently studied
sleep, a factor which likely exponentially increased ‘affects sleep/wake circadian
rhythm’ responses and skewed data collection by decreasing the investigation’s
ecological validity.
The qualitative design choice allowed participants to provide qualitative data in
small, private groups which preserved individual confidentiality and
encouraged relevant, meaningful data collection. Furthermore, the introduction
of siestas to Australia is not a deeply researched field, and so qualitative data
collection on the topic was a convenient way to gather subjective opinions as a
starting point for further research. However, the investigation was

The perceived effects of siestas on Australian way of life

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disadvantaged by its external invalidity, as the small sample provided only

subjective, unreliable

The perceived effects of siestas on Australian way of life

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answers which reduced the representativeness of the investigation.

Furthermore, the focus groups method relied on the impartiality of the
facilitator and scribe, whose personal bias or interpretation of data may have
skewed results. Removing all subjectivity is not plausible, however when
repeating this experiment, stratified sampling is recommended, as this would
encourage ecological validity and cross-cultural applicability within results.
Stricter control over the time of day and the knowledge of demographic involved
could be implemented, reducing extraneity and unreliable, skewed data.
Furthermore, the Delphi Technique could be used to provide the qualitative data
with increased external validity.
Before conducting data collection, participants were taken through a lengthy
informed consent process. The invigilator informed participants that the
investigation’s aim was to collect qualitative data for research purposes, and
explained the participant’s right to confidentiality and to withdraw without
retribution. Notably, the invigilator used mild coercion, detracting from the
recruits’ voluntary participation and infringing upon the ethicality of the
investigation. However, the right to withdraw was observed and always upheld.
Furthermore, consent forms were signed by the guardian of each student,
ensuring the informed consent of each participant. Throughout data collection,
the confidentiality of all participants was protected by the scribes, who did not
attribute names to the raw data collected, allowing participants to maintain
anonymity. However, participants’ confidentiality may still have been
breached, as comments may have been shared between participants following
the investigation.

Conclusion

This investigation’s aim was to ascertain the perceived repercussions of

introducing a siesta in Australia. Five themes were extracted from the
qualitative data collections, and of these factors, the themes of sleep,
work/school productivity and other factors, but significantly not sport, recurred
the most. In this respect, it is evident that the research question was not
conclusively addressed by the investigation’s themes. The investigation’s
qualitative design encouraged subjectivity which decreased the investigation’s
reliability and validity and formed no conclusive answer to the research
question.
Furthermore, as little research has been conducted into a siesta’s effects on

The perceived effects of siestas on Australian way of life

9

Australian culture, the data gathered in this investigation provides only an

indication of a requirement for further research. Notably, this
investigation’s

The perceived effects of siestas on Australian way of life

10

findings also cannot irrefutably identify opinions on Australian siestas.

Extraneous variables such as group allocations, the influence of observer bias
and the psychological attitudes and memories of participants skewed the
qualitative data collected. Furthermore, the convenience sampling used
decreased the ecological and external validity of the investigation’s findings.
Therefore, the investigation’s results, as well as its faults and extraneous
variables, prevent the invigilator from answering the research question
conclusively. Instead, the investigation should serve as a starting point for
further, more definite research.

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Appendix

Appendix 1: Raw data from focus groups for qualitative data collection

The perceived effects of siestas on Australian way of life