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Surprise! No. 1 Leisure Activity Is...
...reading.
When it comes to "me" time, 29 percent of us like to curl up with a good book, down from the 35 percent in 2004 who said reading is their favorite leisure time activity. That's the word from a Harris Poll of 1,052 U.S. adults who were asked to name two or three things they enjoy doing in their free time.
If we're not reading, we prefer to watch television or just spend time with the family. While the numbers have varied from year to year, these three activities have topped the list virtually every time The Harris Poll has asked this question starting in 1995.
Here's good news! We're working fewer hours. The number of hours spent working, which also includes housekeeping chores and studying, dropped from a median of 50 hours in 2004 to a median of 45 hours in 2007. This is the first time it has been this low since 1975 when it was at 43 hours.
Here are our favorite activities ranked in order of preference:
1. Reading: 29 percent
2. TV watching: 18 percent
3. Spending time with family: 14 percent
4. Computer activities: 9 percent
5. Going to the movies: 7 percent
6. Fishing: 7 percent
6 percent: Gardening, walking and playing team sports
5 percent: Exercise, golf and going to church or participating in church activities
4 percent: Listening to music, watching sporting events, shopping, socializing with friends and neighbors and traveling
3 percent: Playing music, entertaining, renting movies, eating out, hunting, crafts, swimming, camping, bicycling and outdoor activities
2 percent: Sewing/crocheting, relaxing, playing cards, hiking, housework, cooking, working on cars, boating, spending time with animals and pets, painting, dancing and horseback riding
1 percent: Sleeping, running, writing, bowling, motorcycling, woodworking, skiing and tennis
Other activities mentioned that were less than 1 percent include racing, going to the beach, attending concerts or going to the theater and gambling.
The biggest changes since the 1995 Harris Poll:
* The largest increases in popularity from 1995 to 2007 are computer activities, perhaps not surprising as new technologies have developed (up seven points from 2 percent to 9 percent), watching sporting events (up four points), exercising (up three points) and crafts (up three points).
* The biggest declines in popularity over the last 12 years are in television viewing (down seven points), sewing/crocheting (down five points), entertaining (down four points) and swimming (down four points).
--From the Editors at Netscape
