Maintaining hobbies is crucial for a balanced, joyful life. Whether it's painting, hiking, or playing an instrument, hobbies can boost creativity, reduce stress, improve mental health, and offer a perfect escape from the daily grind. But how many people have regular hobbies, and what are their favorite activities? We surveyed 1,000 American adults on the aytm platform and got the results back in just a few hours. Here’s the scoop:
Hobbies are popular
67% of respondents report having multiple hobbies. 18% said they just have one real hobby that they practice or participate in regularly. And 15% said they don’t have any hobbies.
85% of overall respondents consider having hobbies to be important. However, 62% agree that they can also be time-consuming. And 63% said that they wish they had more time for hobbies in their lives.
Our findings show that many people dedicate a significant amount of their week to hobbies, emphasizing their importance in daily life. However, it’s also clear that most would prefer to spend more time than they currently can on their hobbies.
Popular interests
There are so many different types of hobbies and interests out there. But there are several larger categories that encompass a lot of popular hobbies. 43% said that they have hobbies that are related to games or video games. 41% enjoy exercise and fitness related activities. 40% enjoy gardening and landscaping, and 39% enjoy other outdoor activities (like hiking or camping). 38% reported that they enjoy arts and crafts hobbies. 33% enjoy travel and tourism.
More specifically, respondents named some of their popular hobbies as playing various types of video games, reading, gardening, watching movies and tv, listening to music, photography, cooking, jewelry making, hiking, sewing, crocheting, writing, painting, coin collecting, and fishing, among other things.
Hobby purchases
Overall, 38% of respondents said that they often make purchases related to their hobbies. 52% sometimes make hobby-related purchases. 8% rarely do. And just 2% never do. Nearly 40% of consumers spend between $11–$30 per month on hobby-related purchases.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in January 2016 but was updated in June 2024 to reflect more timely consumer insights collected by refreshing and rerunning the original research.
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