Gardening, DIY tasks, and bin sorting have seen a decline in popularity following the end of the pandemic, according to official data
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal dramatic changes in how adults have been spending their time before and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
On average, Britons are spending less time pottering in their garden and homes and also less inclined towards activities such as reading, jogging, and computer gaming. On the other hand, there has been an increase in time spent socialising with friends and family, soical drinking, washing, grooming, and travelling.
According to the ONS surveys conducted since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a "significant fall" in the average daily time allocated to entertainment and free-time activities between March 2020 and March 2023. At the same time, there has been a notable rise in travel and working away from home.
The data reveals that during the early weeks of the pandemic, adults spent around 39 minutes a day on gardening or DIY tasks, which has now reduced to just 10 minutes. Cleaning, tidying, and bin sorting time has dropped from 37 minutes to 30. Reading books, magazines, or newspapers has seen a decline from 27 minutes to 18, while playing games or computer gaming has reduced from 22 minutes to 15. Hobbies and leisure activities have also experienced a decrease from 14 minutes to 10.
The official survey also revealed the average time dedicated to exercise, sport, and wellbeing increased to 30 minutes in March 2021 from 20 minutes in March 2020, potentially reflecting the heightened interest in these activities throughout the first year of the pandemic. However, this figure reverted back to 20 minutes by March 2023.
In spring 2021, adults spent an average of 19 minutes per day on exercise walks. However, two years later, this figure has more than halved to eight minutes.
Conversely, grooming time including hair and beauty care has seen an increase from 46 minutes in March 2020 to 53 minutes per day. Other activities on the rise include drinking (up from 13 minutes to 16) and shopping (up from 14 minutes to 18, but down from 23 minutes in March 2022).
The most significant increases are seen in socialising or spending time with others, which has risen from an average of eight minutes a day to 33, and travelling, up from 17 minutes to 61.
The statistics indicate that adults are sleeping less, with the average daily sleep hours reducing from eight hours and 53 minutes in March 2020 to eight hours and 37 minutes. Meanwhile, they are spending more time working away from home, with an increase from one hour and 36 minutes to two hours and seven minutes.
The figures, compiled by the government statistics agency, are based on survey responses from adults aged 18 and over in Great Britain (for March 2020 and 2021) and the UK (March 2022 and 2023).
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