Free time activities: adult participation in England 2018| ��ƽ��

Share of adult population taking part in free time activities in England in 2017/18, by type

Characteristic	Share of respondents
Watching TV	91.5%
Spending time with friends/family	90.1%
Listening to music	81.5%
Eating out at restaurants	77.2%
Browsing the internet	76.5%
Shopping	76.5%
Days out or visits to places	72.1%
Reading	69.1%
Going to pubs/bars/clubs	52.7%
Gardening	50.6%
DIY	43.4%
Playing computer games	27.3%

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Release date

November 2018

More information

Region

United Kingdom (England)

Survey time period

April 2017 to March 2018

Number of respondents

7,715 respondents

Age group

16 years and older

Method of interview

Computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI)

Supplementary notes

This statistic using original data from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and includes copyright material licensed under © Crown, the

Citation formats

Watching TV is the most popular activity people do in their free time in England. At 91.5 percent, most English adults aged 16 or older that were surveyed between April 2017 and March 2018 said they watch TV in their free time. Other popular activities included spending time with friends and family, listening to music and eating out in restaurants.

Are younger generations watching less TV?

The same survey in 2017/18 showed a correlation between age and watching TV: 16 to 24-year-old respondents had the lowest rate of television viewing, with more of the older generation likely to spend their free time in front of the ‘box’. As technology changed, so did media consumption habits, with younger generations more likely to spend their free time online, browsing the internet and social media.

Leisure time well spent

Free time in England does not all revolve around media. Eating out, shopping and days out are still beloved activities which the leisure sector thrives on. Restaurant and café meals ranked among the highest average UK household spending on leisure activities, behind spending on package holidays abroad.