In societies that undergo transformation such as those in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, in the opinion of many, the value of people's time changes. This produces changes in the structure of consumption and the supply of labour. Most probably, at least during the initial years of transition, there is a growing awareness of the time wastage that occurred under the previous system (queuing for basic necessities, plus very limited availability of equipment to facilitate and accelerate household chores).

In pre-1989 Poland, where market rules did not apply, three time-use surveys were conducted for the entire adult population of the country (1975–1976; 1982; 1984). Looking at their findings, one must take into account the "exceptional" circumstances in which the population had to function—a shortage of goods and services, regulated prices, and no official unemployment are just some of the features of the socialist system. After the change in the socioeconomic system, in the years 2003–2004, another representative time use survey was conducted. The results showed time allocation under completely different conditions—with distinct cyclical fluctuations in the economy, real wages rising, involuntary unemployment, and the supply of household appliances.

The purpose of this article is to compare the differences in time allocation, which result not only from the passage of time. The results from 1984 describe Polish people functioning under conditions created by so-called real socialism. Two decades later, the survey reveals the picture of time use in this society in an economic environment that has been to a large extent liberalized.