Stannah study into people’s pastime passions to prove valuable for mobility marketers
A new study by Stannah Stairlifts has revealed that the UK is still a nation of traditionalists when it comes to pastimes, with reading, walking, eating out and gardening among the most popular hobbies.
The interesting insights can prove useful to mobility retailers and suppliers considering which topics to focus their content marketing efforts on, including ideas for blogs and social media posts.
Conducted by OnePoll in September 2020, the Stannah study of 2,000 UK adults revealed the average adult enjoys three hobbies per week, dedicating more than eight hours to them.
Among the most popular pastimes were cooking, baking and watching films, while the research also revealed that people were just as likely to be interested in doing puzzles as socialising.
Interestingly, the data revealed generational similarities and differences, with some surprising results.
In particular, the survey found the younger generation were more likely to be interested in cross-stitching, sewing and stamp collecting than the senior age group.
Additionally, 18 to 24-year-olds were three times more likely to be interested in calligraphy than over 55s.
Going some way to explain the popularity of hobbies traditionally seen as ‘old-fashioned’ among younger generations, the research highlighted that a quarter of those surveyed said they picked up a hobby from an older relative.
In comparison, only 11 per cent took an interest up on the back of a younger member of the family.
Emphasising this, those aged 44 and under reported being 10 times more likely to be interested in TikTok and eight times more likely to have an Instagram account than those aged 55 and over.
Patrick Stannah, Managing Director of Stannah, said: “It’s clear from the results of our survey that Brits like to make the most of their spare time to indulge in a wide range of activities. It’s wonderful that many traditional hobbies have stood the test of time, proving to be popular with all ages with millions of Brits enjoying activities like gardening and baking.”
Stannah’s study also found over 55s are far more likely to read during their spare time (68 per cent) than 18 to 24-year-olds (41 per cent).
According to the study, the top 10 most popular pastimes for those over 55 years old are
- Reading (68%)
- Walking (61%)
- Gardening (59%)
- Eating out (44%)
- Doing puzzles (43%)
- Travelling (43%)
- Watching films (42%)
- Cooking (40%)
- Baking (30%)
- Socialising (29%)
The valuable insights into hobbies may help inform what topics mobility retailers and suppliers focus on when trying to engage their key customer demographics online, for example, writing a blog post listing 20 must-read books.
Following the study, Stannah has also compiled an interesting A-Z list of activities to stay entertained at home on its website – from truffle-making to decoupage.
Watch a breakdown of the study results below:
