Leisure Monitor 2013

For the study, which has been conducted regularly since 1993, 3,000 people aged 14 and over were questioned on a representative basis (face-to-face) about their leisure behaviour, leisure activities and the proportion of time they actually have free per day.

Key findings of the study:

• Media and recreation characterise the everyday leisure time of German citizens
• Television remains the most common leisure activity
• German citizens have 3 hours and 49 minutes of free time per working day, 14 minutes less than in 2010
• Young people's leisure time has decreased the most compared to 2010
• Significant differences between West and East and between women and men

Watch TV, listen to the radio, make phone calls:
The Germans' favourite leisure activities

Television remains by far the most common leisure activity for Germans. 96 per cent of all Germans watch television regularly, i.e. at least once a week. 71 per cent even switch on their TV set every day. Television consumption is in first place in all phases of life. In second and third place, the duel between telephoning from home and listening to the radio continues. However, regenerative activities such as thinking, sleeping in or lazing around remain just as popular as using the computer or the internet. 
Professor Dr Ulrich Reinhardt, Scientific Director of the BAT Foundation for Future Studies: "Media and recreation characterise the everyday leisure time of German citizens. Most people stay at home at the end of the working day, let themselves be entertained or entertained, relax or socialise on the phone and online. Activities outside the home are much rarer and tend to be the leisure highlight at the weekend."

Different interests within the population

The Leisure behaviour of the German citizens hardly exist. Although some similarities can be identified, there are also numerous differences in the leisure activities of the various population groups. For example West German significantly more sport than East German (37% vs. 25%), use social media more often (36% vs. 26%), meet up with friends more often (25% vs. 15%) and go to church (10% vs. 4%) or to the regulars' table (8% vs. 4%) around twice as often. East Germans, on the other hand, spend more time in the garden (40% vs. 34%) and do more DIY (22% vs. 16%) than West Germans. They also take an afternoon nap more often (38% vs. 31%) and make more time for coffee and cake in the afternoon (65% vs. 51%).
Between the sexes there are numerous (expected) differences. For example, women read books almost twice as often (45% vs. 25%), take more time to look after themselves in peace (67% vs. 56%), make more phone calls (92% vs. 84%) and go shopping more (15% vs. 8%). Men, on the other hand, spend three times as much of their free time doing DIY (26% vs. 9%), attending sporting events (16% vs. 5%) and going to the pub (17% vs. 5%). In addition, two thirds of men regularly use a PC, compared to only 50 per cent of women.
At the Educational background also reveal different activity profiles. In general, interest in cultural and media activities increases with education. In contrast, the formally less educated spend more time with family or neighbours and allow themselves more leisure time.
The greatest deviations in leisure behaviour are between the generations. For example, people under 29 say they use their mobile phones or do sport three times more often than retired people over 65. In addition, the younger generation uses PCs four times more often and the internet five times more often than the older generation. And while almost four out of five young people are active on social networks, only one in thirty pensioners is registered on one. In contrast, older people are twice as likely to go for a walk or chat with their neighbours, five times more likely to be active in the garden and retired people are also more likely to read books and newspapers. Even the seemingly youthful domain of "lazing around and doing nothing" is now practised more frequently by the over 65s than by the under 29s.

3 hours and 49 minutes free time per working day

Leisure time is known to be dear to Germans. But how much free time do Germans actually have? The average amount of free time a citizen has on weekdays is exactly three hours and forty-nine minutes. Neither gender nor region or income determine the amount of free time, but almost exclusively the phase of life. Thus Retirees more than five hours per working day do what they want, while families have less than three hours at their disposal. Compared to 2010 (4 hours and 3 minutes), the amount of free time within the overall population has decreased by almost a quarter of an hour, whereby Young people have lost a particularly large amount of free time have (-49 minutes).
Reinhardt: "The introduction of the Abitur after 12 years of school and more all-day schools have certainly contributed significantly to the fact that the free time of 14 to 17-year-olds has been greatly reduced. However, the increasing number of (compulsory) appointments, the pressure to be active online and the desire of many parents for their children to be involved in meaningful activities are also leading to less free time for children and young people."

Outlook

If you ask Germans what they would like to do more often in their free time, relaxing and social activities are among the top answers: sleeping in, lazing around or doing nothing and spending more time with family or friends.
A year-on-year comparison shows that regenerative activities are already being carried out more frequently than just a few years ago. In contrast, contact with other people has only increased online or on the phone. This will continue in the future (for the time being). At the same time, however, many Germans also recognise that virtual contact is more of a supplement than an alternative to face-to-face meetings.
In addition, the rate of growth in Internet use is stagnating, and only very few German citizens say they want to make more phone calls or surf the Internet in future. The leisure time of the future will therefore not only be spent online and virtually, but will remain divided into three parts:

Firstly: Passive activities at home. These range from watching TV programmes to simply letting your mind wander.
Secondly: Media offerings. Newspapers, radio and the internet provide entertainment and information and enable contact with others.
Thirdly: Personal contact with friends and family - be it over dinner together or a trip to the cinema, at the sports club or when visiting each other.

Reinhardt: "However, free time will continue to decrease in the future, which is why leisure activities for many Germans mean 'doing more in the same amount of time' instead of 'doing one thing at a time'. This means that people's greatest wish for the future - to 'spontaneously do whatever they feel like doing' - will continue to be postponed."

Technical data of the investigation

Number and representation: Germany, 2,973 people aged 14 and over Survey period: June 2013 Survey organisation: Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung (GfK)