What are Brits Doing in their Spare Time?
This is a question that requires an open answer, due to the number of things Brits like to do whenever they can. Some of their activities are great for both physical and mental health, whereas others can help develop a skill, whether existing or new. Research using Google search data has found the most popular things Brits like to do in 20 of the UK’s largest cities.
Being Online
It may come as no surprise that being online, and surfing the net, is a popular pastime amongst Brits. Using various social media platforms is up there, as well, when it comes to being online. Snapchat has been fun for people to upload whatever they want for others to watch.
Meanwhile, people have used Facebook to keep in touch and message one another. Social media has even influenced some of the activities Brits to decide to do in their free time, like roller skating. But, aside from social media, online gaming is also popular and is what features in this research.
There’s a huge variety of games for people to choose from online, too, including at different casinos. If players are looking for live tabletop games because they want a live dealer, then games like blackjack and roulette will fit the bill. Alternatively, if players want a game that they can play by themselves, they've got the slots.
With the increasing capabilities of smartphones and online casino operators' technology, using the internet to play casino online can be done whenever and wherever it's convenient. Additionally, with operators also developing apps for games to be played on, players can access their stats and withdraw payments at the touch of a button on their mobile phone at any time of the day or night.
Putting Pencil to Paper
Even with the virtual world at the touch of our fingertips, it appears that the Brits love to draw, or are artists in the making, perhaps. Searching about drawing online has the most hits, on Google, month-on-month. There are around 246,000 searches, which is then followed by golf which has 201,000 monthly hits.
When the data was looked at, in terms of cities, it was found that drawing was still the number one pastime. People in nine out of the twenty cities searched for art the most. Interestingly, golf was the second most popular search, with seven out of these cities researching it.
Being Active
Overall, the Brits seem to be an active bunch, with activities like rock climbing, roller skating and gardening being in the top three of their top ten past-times. In fact, of the top ten, seven hobbies are physical activities, with the remaining three being pottery, patchwork and trainspotting.
What’s interesting to note is that kayaking was Londoners’ favourite past-time as the city isn’t located by a coast. This may indicate that they are prepared to travel to do activities that they like. There were twelve cities that enjoyed roller skating, making it the most popular hobby amongst them all. Roller skating has surged in popularity in recent years with rinks to be found all over the country.
There has been much said about the amount of time Brits spend online doing various things, but this research has shown that getting out and being physically active is popular too. Half of the trending hobbies involved physical activity, like resistance training, angling and golf.
The other half were a range of different hobbies including singing, sculpting and patchwork. This goes to show that Brits like to do a diverse range of things when it comes to their free time and may even inspire others to try something new themselves.
