MOSCOW, November 9, 2007 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents information concerning how our grown-ups and children spend their free time.
71% of Russians have free time, but among them only 31% believe, that they have enough of it, and 40% complain of its lack. Another 27% specified that they do not have practically any free time.
Elderly Russians are the most "free" people: two thirds of them (64%) have enough free time. Respondents aged 25 to 59 years belong to the "busiest" group: 32-35% of them live in permanent time trouble.
Despite of that the majority of respondents (51 %) consider that conditions for rest and leisure in our country have become better within the last several years. No more than 41% of respondents adhered to this point of view only two years ago. At the same time the number of those who complain about deterioration of leisure conditions has reduced (from 26% down to 17%) was simultaneously reduced.
Respondents who refer themselves to the group with a high (70%) or average (53%) estimation of own financial standing are more inclined to notice improvements in sphere of leisure than respondents belonging to the group with low estimation of own financial standing (37%).
At the same time Russians have started to spend their free time more in a more active way than earlier. Our compatriots have begun to communicate with friends more (33%, it used to be 23%), to spend more time outdoors (27% versus 13%); to listen to music, to watch videos (19% versus 12%). The share of those who have hobby (from 7% up to 12%), and also those who like to sit in front of the computer (from 5% up to 12%) has nearly doubled. But watching TV, listening to the radio (56%, in 2005 - 45%) and doing the work about the house (51%, it used to amount to 40%) still occupy the first place of things to do in one's free time, just as they did years before.
Half of respondents (48%) turned out not to have a hobby, favourite thing to do. The remaining share of respondents among the activities they like to indulge in in their free time most often name the types of leisure activities connected with spending time outdoors, i.e. tourism, hunting, fishing, gathering berries and mushrooms (8%), and also various kinds of needlework, gardening and truck farming, getting to know literary works and works of art (6% for each of the options). 4% of respondents go in for sports and 3% indulge in housekeeping activities.
Forms of leisure of children and teenagers have changed a little if compared to those in 2005: according to their parents, the share of children interested in computers (from 10% up to 23%), watching TV (from 15% up to 21%), listening music (from 10% up to 17%) has drastically grown. As before, the children still read little: 8% of children and teenagers read books, 4-5% read through the children's newspapers and magazines.
The All-Russia opinion poll was conducted by VCIOM in August 18-19, 2007. 1579 respondents were interviewed in 153 population areas of 46 regions of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.
Do you have free time? | ||||||
| Total respondents | Age, years | ||||
18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 and older | ||
Yes, I have enough free time | 31 | 36 | 14 | 16 | 26 | 64 |
I do have free time, but not as much as I would like to | 40 | 43 | 49 | 50 | 41 | 21 |
I practically do not have any free time | 27 | 19 | 35 | 32 | 32 | 13 |
Hard to say | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
How do you think did the leisure conditions change in Russia during the last 5-6 years? | ||
| June 2005 | August 2007 |
They have changed for the better | 41 | 51 |
They have changed for the worse | 26 | 17 |
They have not changed | 16 | 18 |
Hard to say | 17 | 14 |
How do you think did the leisure conditions change in Russia during the last 5-6 years? | ||||
| Total respondents | Estimation of own financial standing | ||
Very high, high | Average | Low, very low | ||
They have changed for the better | 51 | 70 | 53 | 37 |
They have changed for the worse | 17 | 11 | 16 | 24 |
They have not changed | 18 | 13 | 18 | 22 |
Hard to say | 14 | 6 | 13 | 17 |
What do you usually do in your free time? (Any number of responses) | ||
| June 2005 | August 2007 |
Watching TV, listening to the radio | 45 | 56 |
Doing work about the house | 40 | 51 |
Meeting and associating with friends at home or at their place | 23 | 33 |
Reading newspapers, magazines | 28 | 30 |
Spending the time outdoors, in the country, going for walks | 13 | 27 |
Reading books | 21 | 25 |
Listening to music, watching videos | 12 | 19 |
Doing some hobbies at home (needlework, photography, collecting) | 7 | 12 |
Computer, Internet, computer games | 5 | 12 |
Going to sport clubs, fitness clubs, sport sections | 5 | 7 |
Going to the theatre, concerts, movies, museums | 5 | 7 |
Doing nothing, relaxing | 5 | 7 |
Going to cafes, bars | 7 | 6 |
Going to church, religious meetings | 3 | 6 |
Going to discos, dance floors | 5 | 5 |
Additional educational classes, qualification courses | 3 | 5 |
Classes at various coteries, interest clubs (for people interested in music, dancing, etc.) | 1 | 2 |
Participating in the work of the social, political organizations, going to meetings | 1 | 1 |
I hardly have any free time | 11 | 10 |
Other variant | 3 | 3 |
Hard to say | 1 | 2 |
Do you have a hobby (an interest, the favourite thing to do that you devote a significant time of your free time to)? If so, what is it? (A free-answer question, one response possible) | |||
| Total respondents | Gender | |
Men | Women | ||
Cars, technics | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Raising children, grandchildren, communicating with friends | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Housekeeping, cookery | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Animals | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Computer | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Music | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Needlework (knitting, basketry, sewing) | 6 | 1 | 9 |
Gardening, orcharding | 6 | 4 | 9 |
Sports | 4 | 6 | 2 |
Dancing (ballroom dances, eastern dances, etc.) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Tourism, hunting, fishing, gathering fruit, mushrooms | 8 | 15 | 2 |
Reading, going to exhibitions, theatres, museums | 6 | 4 | 7 |
Solving crosswords, playing checks, chess, dominoes, backgammon | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Watching TV, soap operas | 2 | 2 | 2 |
I don't have a hobby | 48 | 45 | 50 |
Other variant | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Hard to say | 6 | 6 | 8 |
If you have children or grandchildren of 10 to 18 years old inclusive, what do they usually do in their free time? (Any number of responses) | ||
| June 2005 | August 2007 |
Sitting at a computer, Internet, computer games | 10 | 23 |
Watching TV, listening to the radio | 15 | 21 |
Listening to music, watching videos | 10 | 17 |
Meeting and associating with friends at home or at their place | 13 | 15 |
Going to discos, dance floors | 7 | 10 |
Spending the time outdoors, in the country, going for walks | 5 | 10 |
Going to sport clubs, fitness clubs, sport sections | 5 | 9 |
Doing work about the house | 7 | 9 |
Classes at various coteries, interest clubs (for people interested in music, dancing, etc.) | 5 | 8 |
Reading books | 8 | 8 |
Going to cafes, centers of entertainment | 2 | 6 |
Reading newspapers, magazines | 5 | 4 |
Going to the theatre, concerts, movies, museums | 3 | 4 |
Additional educational classes, qualification courses | 4 | 4 |
Doing some hobbies at home (needlework, photography, collecting) | 3 | 3 |
Doing nothing, relaxing | 1 | 3 |
Participating in the work of the social, political organizations, going to meetings | 1 | 1 |
Going to church, religious meetings | 0 | 0 |
I hardly have any free time | 1 | 1 |
Other variant | 2 | 1 |
There are no children of this age in my family | 53 | 50 |
Hard to say | 5 | 6 |