Austerity measures curb the urge to be active: Retreat into one's own four walls?

Nearly all out-of-home activities involving spending money have stagnated or even declined over the past five years. According to a recent analysis by the Leisure Research Institute of British American Tobacco, fewer Germans went shopping (-4 percentage points), to the cinema (-3), or to sporting events (-2) and festivals (-4) between 1992 and 1997. Restaurants (-1) and amusement parks (-1) also experienced stagnant or slightly declining visitor numbers compared to the early 1990s. The survey, representative of the population, polled 3,000 people aged 14 and over on more than fifty leisure activities.
""The new age of experiences currently resembles an age of austerity," says Prof. Dr. Horst W. Opaschowski, scientific director of the research institute. "Germans are being forced—against their will—to retreat into their own four walls. Leisure, which costs nothing, is becoming a necessity for many whose leisure budget is constantly shrinking. After the hectic pace and stress of recent years, more peace and quiet between watching television, reading newspapers, and listening to the radio are now in demand. The pressure to save is curbing the urge to be active outdoors. Media consumption within one's own four walls is benefiting from this. This is not necessarily a new leisure trend, but rather a temporary adaptation to times in which one has to tighten one's belt financially. Many leisure desires are being postponed, not abandoned. In a time of great technological, political, and social upheaval, people are regaining a little peace and relaxation through this more enforced retreat.".

We are a people with many faces.

When respondents were geographically categorized into the four regions of northern, eastern, southern, and western Germany, very different characteristics emerged in the leisure activities of German citizens. "There is no single, unified German way of life," says institute director Opaschowski. "Rather, it thrives on the diversity of its regions and the traditions of its festivals, its club life, and its regional ties.".
For southern Germans, attending church and going to the pub is a cherished part of everyday life, perhaps more so than for any other regional population group in Germany. One in four southern Germans regularly goes to church (24%) – more than twice as many as, for example, in eastern Germany (10%). Southern Germans also enjoy going to the pub just as much (27%). When it comes to leisure time, people in northern Germany spend the most time cycling (45%). And they are also more likely to go to a restaurant (36%) than to a pub (20%). In contrast, eastern Germans spend more of their leisure time at their dacha (country house) and doing DIY projects. For traditional reasons, but also for financial ones, their evenings are primarily spent on home improvement (26%) and gardening (44%).
Opaschowski: "German leisure activities clearly show regional peculiarities that are passed down from generation to generation. Supra-regional commonalities often only develop through shared experiences, such as when a Prussian visits Oktoberfest or a Bavarian attends the Rhineland Carnival.".

Leisure time in pairs skating?
Southern Germans and Austrians compared

A comparison between two countries is also revealing: The regional and mental boundaries between the Allgäu and Tyrol, Upper Bavaria and Salzburg, Lower Bavaria and the Austrian Innviertel and Mühlviertel regions are fluid and subjectively barely perceptible. "I always enjoy going to Bavaria; there I'm no longer in Austria, but not yet in Germany either." For this ironic remark, Bruno Kreisky, Austria's former Chancellor, received the Karl Valentin Order. What seems like a cliché is largely reality. Southern Germans and Austrians pursue many leisure activities almost as if they were one. From daily television viewing (South Germans: 88 % – Austrians: 87 %) to hobbies (S: 25 % – Ö: 24 %) to PC use (S: 17 % – Ö: 18 %), from visiting a folk festival (S: 14 % – Ö: 16 %) to visiting a flea market (S: 9% – Ö: 10%) they differ only in nuances.
In a representative comparative survey, the Hamburg-based Leisure Research Institute of British American Tobacco, together with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute in Vienna, also interviewed 2,000 people aged 15 and over in Austria. However, this also revealed striking differences in the leisure activities of Austrians and the German population as a whole.
Compared to Austrians, German leisure activities seem almost home-centric: much of it takes place within the confines of their own four walls – between watching television and talking on the phone, reading books and writing letters. Comfort and tranquility dominate after work. In stark contrast, Austrians are decidedly outdoorsy after work: more than twice as many Austrians demonstrate activity and restlessness around the clock. Compared to Germans, they do more sports (+6 percentage points), enjoy hiking significantly more (+9), and spend more time with friends (+9). Professor Opaschowski explains: "Activity, mobility, and sociability – these are the defining characteristics of Austrian leisure activities.""
However, the question remains: Is it happier to spend your free time at home or away from home? The "ideal leisure time" is always a balancing act: as much activity as possible, as much rest as necessary.