People in Germany hold their free time dear. After all, it is the time when you can do exactly what you want. However, fewer and fewer Germans are spending their free time on activities that they really want to do. This is the conclusion reached by the BAT Foundation for Future Studies in its special analysis of the 2018 Leisure Time Monitor on Germans' leisure time wishes. More than 3,000 German citizens were surveyed in personal interviews for the study.

The main reason for the discrepancy between desire and reality is media use, which is now at the centre of leisure time. The six most common activities of Germans are watching television, listening to the radio or music, surfing the internet and making phone calls from home and when travelling. These are joined by reading the newspaper, using the computer and social media, which are also regularly practised by the majority of people.

The Foundation's Scientific Director, Professor Dr Ulrich Reinhardt, explains the media's dominance by the omnipresent offer, the convenience, but also the fear of many citizens of missing out on something: „Whether it's information, entertainment or contact with others - everything can now be experienced and done virtually at any time and from anywhere. Younger and middle-aged people in particular are also quick to say that if you're not online all the time, you're quickly out of touch. They make phone calls in all situations, reply to every message within minutes if possible and comment on everything via social media. However, this round-the-clock presence has its price. More and more people feel that they are being overwhelmed by the flood of media and want to switch off more often - in both senses of the word.“

There are both parallels and differences between the sexes. Both women and men would like to be more spontaneous, go on more trips and simply sleep in more often. Women are much more likely to want to go shopping, go dancing, take advantage of wellness offers, do handicrafts or go to a musical. Men, on the other hand, would like to do handicrafts more often, go to the regulars' table, travel by car or motorbike and have sex more often.

Conclusion: The everyday leisure activities of many German citizens resemble a stress rally. They jump from one activity to the next, engage in numerous activities at the same time and want to be involved everywhere for fear of missing out on something. As a result, they often take on too much in their free time and try to optimise and use every free minute. They would actually rather meet up with their friends than just write all the time, they would rather spontaneously follow their needs than always have to check the calendar first, and they would rather just lazily pursue their own thoughts on the couch than be constantly active. In short, the population doesn't just want free time for something, but also from something.