This kind of tied in with a thread Hellen began a while back… tho I can say I don’t get much of it… but when I do… maybe I fall into this category.
No. 1 Leisure-Time Activity Is…
…reading!
Fully 26 percent of us pick up a book, magazine, or newspaper when we finally get to relax and do whatever we want. This compares to the No. 2 activity: watching television. Just 15 percent of us turn on the TV the first chance we get, which is a whopping 35 percent drop from just two years ago!
Reading and watching television have topped the list of favorite leisure time activities in the 30 years Harris Poll has conducted its annual work and leisure survey of 1,011 adults. The median number of hours we spend at work has dropped from 50 hours a week to 47 hours a week, no doubt reflecting the weakening economy and the end of the boom years of the 1990s. We have about 20 hours a week that we define as leisure time and how we spend it is rich and varied.
When people were asked to name two or three of their favorite leisure time activities, these were the top 10 activities:
Reading: 26 percent
TV watching: 15 percent
Spending time with family and children: 11 percent
Fishing: 8 percent
Gardening: 8 percent
Playing team sports: 7 percent
Going to the movies: 6 percent
Swimming: 5 percent
Golf: 5 percent
Socializing with neighbors and friends: 5 percent
Other activities we enjoy to a lesser degree are:
4 percent: Computer activities, walking, exercise, traveling, and listening to music.
3 percent: Renting movies, boating, hunting, relaxing, sewing/crocheting, bicycling, sleeping, and hiking.
2 percent: Eating out, shopping, crafts, camping, church and church activities, watching sporting events, cooking, entertaining, painting, running, and woodworking.
1 percent: Playing music, bowling, working on cars, animals/pets/dogs, motorcycling, theater, dancing, tennis, horseback riding, skiing, and writing.