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Time spent in leisure activities in 2014, by gender, age, and educational attainment
June 29, 2015
On an average day in 2014, nearly everyone age 15 and over (96 percent) engaged in some sort of leisure activity such as watching TV, socializing, or exercising. Among those who engaged in leisure activities, men spent more time in these activities (6.0 hours) than did women (5.2 hours).
Watching TV was the leisure activity that occupied the most time, accounting for more than half of leisure time, on average. Men spent 3 hours per day watching TV, while women spent 2.6 hours. Socializing, such as visiting with friends or attending or hosting social events, was the next most common leisure activity, accounting for 0.7 hours per day for both men and women.
Average hours per day spent in leisure and sports activities by gender, 2014 annual averages
Gender
Watching TV
Socializing and communicating
Playing games and using computers for leisure
Participating in sports, exercise and recreation
Reading
Relaxing/thinking
Other leisure and sports activities, including travel
Men
3.0
0.7
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.5
Women
2.6
0.7
0.4
0.2
0.4
0.3
0.4
On average, adults age 75 and over spent 8.0 hours per day engaged in leisure activities—more than any other age group; 35- to 44-year-olds spent 4.1 hours engaged in leisure and sports activities—less than other age groups.
Average hours per day spent in leisure and sports activities by age, 2014 annual averages
Age
Watching TV
Socializing and communicating
Playing games and using computers for leisure
Participating in sports, exercise and recreation
Reading
Relaxing/thinking
Other leisure and sports activities, including travel
15 to 19 years
2.4
0.8
0.9
0.6
0.1
0.2
0.7
20 to 24 years
2.5
0.9
0.8
0.4
0.2
0.1
0.5
25 to 34 years
2.0
0.8
0.4
0.3
0.1
0.3
0.4
35 to 44 years
2.2
0.6
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.4
45 to 54 years
2.7
0.7
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.4
55 to 64 years
3.3
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.4
0.3
0.4
65 to 74 years
4.0
0.7
0.5
0.3
0.6
0.4
0.5
75 years and over
4.5
0.7
0.5
0.2
1.1
0.7
0.4
Time spent reading for personal interest and playing games or using a computer for leisure varied greatly by age. Individuals age 75 and over averaged 1.1 hours of reading per day and 0.5 hours playing games or using a computer for leisure. Individuals ages 15 to 19 read for an average of 0.1 hours per day and spent 0.9 hours playing games or using a computer for leisure.
Average leisure time also varied widely among persons with different educational attainment. Those with bachelor’s degrees or higher watched 2.1 hours of TV per day. Those with less than a high school diploma watched 3.9 hours of TV per day. The second most common leisure activity for those without high school diplomas was relaxing/thinking. They spent an average of 0.8 hours per day on this activity, compared with 0.2 hours per day for those with a bachelor's degree or higher.
United States Department of Labor
