It seems like the “work hard, play hard” mantra does not ring true to everyone.
As everyday life becomes increasingly busy in today’s society, the amount of leisure time people have is diminishing, according to The World Play Shortage Report, which asked 10,100 people from 22 countries.
The study, commissioned by home appliance brand Beko, found that the global average leisure time of a person in an average week is less than 21 hours, shorter compared to 24 hours of older generation.
When it comes to free time, nearly 30 percent of adults have less than 10 hours per week, and 36 percent have less than two hours per day, “as the demands of modern life start to eat into free time.”
It also revealed that young people in the early years of their careers are particularly affected by their busy lives, as the study found that those 22 years old are the most likely to cancel evening leisure plans due to work, at 42 percent.
The consequence of this practice however comes back after a few years as people aged 38 crave the chance to have more play time in their lives, with 63 percent wishing they had more leisure time rather than money.
“The World Play Shortage Report stands as a powerful source for how modern life shapes our wellbeing and highlights the lack of play time,” says Beko group head of Communications Zeynep Özbil. “The report shows people lead busy and often unplanned lives and this has a critical negative impact on our leisure time.”
With leisure time increasingly under threat, spending time with family has become more important with two in three or 64 percent of respondents choosing this as their favorite activity. This is followed by relaxing at home at 62 percent, and socializing with friends at 46 percent.
Meanwhile, a staggering 70 percent of those surveyed do not rank playing sport or going to gym or exercising as one of their favorite leisure time activities, and nearly a third or 30 percent admit they never exercise.
As the official premium partner of FC Barcelona, Beko launched “The Official partner of play” campaign that highlights the shared values of play between the club and the brand.
“We understand people’s everyday needs and provide meaningful time-saving solutions, so that they can simply enjoy their unpredictable, busy lives. We do hope these findings will actually remind us all how we need to ‘play’ to live our lives to the fullest,” emphasizes Özbil.
Respondents of this survey were from Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.