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THE HARRIS POLL #38, August
8, 2001
Reading, TV,
Spending Time with Family, Gardening and Fishing Top List of Favorite
Leisure-Time Activities
Number of
hours spent working and available for leisure both unchanged
____________________________________________________________
by Humphrey Taylor
Every year at this time, The
Harris Poll asks people to name their favorite leisure-time activities and
how much time they have for their leisure, as well as how much time they spend
working – including school and keeping house. Reading (28%), TV watching (20%)
spending time with family and kids (12%), fishing (12%) and gardening (10%) are
the nation's favorite ways of using their leisure time, all relatively unchanged
from the results over the last few years.
The other main findings
include:
- The time that people
claim to spend on their work, including paid work, keeping house and school
remains unchanged at 50 hours per week. This has not changed significantly
since 1989. In 1987 people reported working only 47 works a week. In the
early seventies, people reported working only 41 hours a week.
- The amount of time
available to people to relax, watch TV, take part in sports or hobbies, go
swimming, go to the movies, theatre, concerts or other forms of
entertainment, or to get together with friends also remains unchanged at 20
hours per week. This has not changed substantially since the early and
mid-1970s, when people reported having 26 hours (in 1973) and 24 hours (in
1975) available for leisure time activities.
- After the most popular
leisure-time activities mentioned above, other relatively popular pastimes
are swimming (8%), computer activities (7%), going to the movies (7%),
walking (6%), golf (6%), exercise and playing team sports (each at 5%).
Compared to a few years ago, the biggest increase is in the popularity of
computer activities (presumably in many cases the Internet), up from 2% in
1995, and 3% in 1997 and 1998, to 7% now.
Humphrey Taylor is the
Chairman of The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive.
These are the results of The
Harris Poll, a nationwide survey of 1,011 adults surveyed by telephone
between June 13-18, 2001.
TABLE 1
FAVORITE
LEISURE-TIME ACTIVITIES
(Spontaneous,
Unaided Responses)
"What
are your two or three most favorite leisure-time activities?"
Base: All Adults
| |
1995
% |
1997
% |
1998
% |
1999
% |
2000
% |
2001
% |
|
Reading |
28 |
28 |
30 |
27 |
31 |
28 |
|
TV watching |
25 |
19 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
20 |
|
Spending time with
family/kids |
12 |
12 |
13 |
12 |
14 |
12 |
|
Fishing |
10 |
12 |
11 |
13 |
9 |
12 |
|
Gardening |
9 |
11 |
14 |
15 |
13 |
10 |
|
Swimming |
7 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
8 |
|
Computer activities |
2 |
3 |
3 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
|
Going to movies |
8 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
6 |
7 |
|
Walking |
8 |
8 |
7 |
9 |
8 |
6 |
|
Golf |
6 |
8 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
|
Exercise (aerobics,
weights) |
2 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
5 |
|
Playing team sports |
9 |
9 |
9 |
8 |
5 |
5 |
|
Socializing with
friends/neighbors |
* |
* |
2 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
|
Renting movies |
5 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
|
Traveling |
4 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
|
Listening to music |
5 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Shopping |
3 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
|
Crafts (unspecified) |
* |
* |
* |
3 |
4 |
4 |
|
Camping |
4 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
|
Church/church
activities |
3 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
|
Boating |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Hunting |
4 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
|
Relaxing |
* |
* |
1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Sewing/crocheting |
7 |
4 |
8 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
|
Bicycling |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
|
Watching sporting
events |
* |
* |
2 |
5 |
4 |
2 |
|
Playing music |
3 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
|
Sleeping |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Beach/Sun tanning |
* |
* |
* |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Bowling |
4 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Cooking |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Entertaining |
7 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Working on cars |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Animals/pets/dogs |
* |
* |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Eating out |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Painting |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Running |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Woodworking |
* |
* |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Hiking |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
* |
Other activities mentioned
by 1% include motorcycling, theater, tennis, horseback riding, dancing, skiing,
writing, driving, racing cars.
TABLE 2
WORK HOURS
PER WEEK
"First,
we would like to know approximately how many hours a week you spend at your job
or occupation, and that includes keeping house or going to school as well as
working for pay or profit. How many hours would you estimate you spend at work,
housekeeping or studies, including any travel time to and from the job or
school?"
Base: All Adults
|
Year |
Median
Number of
Work Hours |
|
2001 |
50 |
|
2000 |
50 |
|
1999 |
50 |
|
1998 |
50 |
|
1997 |
51 |
|
1995 |
51 |
|
1994 |
51 |
|
1993 |
50 |
|
1989 |
49 |
|
1987 |
47 |
|
1984 |
47 |
|
1980 |
47 |
|
1975 |
43 |
|
1973 |
41 |
TABLE 3
HOURS
AVAILABLE FOR LEISURE PER WEEK
"And
about how many hours each week do you estimate you have available to relax,
watch TV, take part in sports or hobbies, go swimming or skiing, go to the
movies, theater, concerts, or other forms of entertainment, get together with
friends, and so forth?"
Base: All Adults
|
Year |
Median
Number of
Leisure Hours |
|
2001 |
20 |
|
2000 |
20 |
|
1999 |
20 |
|
1998 |
19 |
|
1997 |
20 |
|
1995 |
19 |
|
1994 |
20 |
|
1993 |
19 |
|
1989 |
19 |
|
1987 |
17 |
|
1984 |
18 |
|
1980 |
19 |
|
1975 |
24 |
|
1973 |
26 |
Methodology
This issue of The Harris
Poll was conducted by telephone within the United States between June 13-18,
2001 among a nationwide cross section of 1,010 adults. Figures for age, sex,
race, education, number of adults and number of voice/telephone lines in the
household were weighted where necessary to align them with their actual
proportions in the population.
In theory,
with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty
that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3 percentage
points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with
complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of
error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical
calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed
(non-response), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting
by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters). It is
difficult or impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these
factors.
These statements conform to
the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
____________________________________________________________
w14654
Q455-465
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