Leisure Reading Home and Away

by Jack Loechner, Aug 21, 2001, 12:00 AM

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Leisure Reading Home and Away

Certainly marketers participate in the consumer leisure industry in at least two ways: selling to the participants and communicating with them. In a recently completed comprehensive study by Bear, Stearns entitled "America At Leisure," they drew a picture of the consumer now and two years hence with regard to their interests and expected participation.

Relevant to the Media industry, publishers can take heart (as reported by The Magazine Publishers Association) that reading of books and magazines ranked on top of reported general leisure activities in the study. And the future looks even better as the largest increase among the activities projected:

Most Popular General Leisure Activities

+---------------------------------------------+----------+
| General Leisure Activities                  | Expected |
|                                             |   Future |
|                                             | Net Gain |
+---------------------------------------------+----------+
|                                             |          |
| Reading                                     |    30.0% |
| Spending Time With Friends and Family       |    29.0% |
| Visiting a Zoo or Local/State/National Park |    28.0% |
| Going To a Beach or Lake                    |    26.0% |
| Visiting Museums/Other Cultural Events      |    26.0% |
| Working on a Computer                       |    21.0% |
| Visiting a Theme/Water Park                 |    21.0% |
| Calling Friends or Family                   |    21.0% |
| Gardening/Working in the Yard               |     9.0% |
| Writing to Friends/Family                   |    19.0% |
| Organizing/Redecorating Home                |    19.0% |
+---------------------------------------------+----------+

Source: Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.; Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown.

And, as a "vacation leisure activity", reading is expected to increase by 22%. The report also notes that, while watching television does not appear on the list, the researchers believe there a very high participation rate among Americans, though most people would not admit to future intentions to watch more television

Among other vacation activities, the study concludes that three out of ten American adults have access to a personal computer while on vacation. Of those, more than 80% log on to the Internet or an online service while on vacation. Among those respondents with Internet access, two-thirds have access through a personal computer or laptop, and nearly four in ten have access through friend’s or family member’s computer while on vacation.

Most Popular Vacation Leisure Activities

+-------------------------------------+----------+
| Vacation Leisure Activities         | Expected |
|                                     |   Future |
|                                     | Net Gain |
+-------------------------------------+----------+
| Beach or Lake                       |    30.0% |
| Spending Time W/ Family and Friends |    30.0% |
| Zoos and Parks                      |    25.0% |
| Museums and Other Cultural Exhibits |    25.0% |
| Reading                             |    22.0% |
| Theme/Water Parks                   |    21.0% |
| Calling Friends and Family          |    20.0% |
| Spa Treatment                       |    16.0% |
| Organize/Redecorate Home            |    14.0% |
| Garden/Work In the Yard             |    13.0% |
| Shop/Go To the Mall                 |    13.0% |
| Go to Bars/Night Clubs/Dancing      |    12.0% |
| Write to Friends and Family         |    12.0% |
| Photography                         |    11.0% |
+-------------------------------------+----------+

Source: Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.; Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown.

Read more here.

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