Brits 'can't afford hobbies'

A survey for SantanderCurrent Accounts has discovered that £18.4bn is spent annually on hobbies, equivalent to £384 per person with a hobby.

But 24% say costs have risen by up to a quarter in the past year, with 36% agreeing costs have increased.

One in 10 – equivalent to nearly five million people – has had to give up their hobby entirely because they can’t afford to do it anymore.

Reading is Britain's top hobby, with 30% saying it is their favourite pastime, along with watching TV (23%), travel (22%) and gardening/horticulture (16%).

Matt Hall, head of banking at Santander, said: “It’s interesting that reading as a hobby has stood the test of time, despite the growing popularity of television. Their popularity is perhaps because they are relatively low cost.

“From our research we can see some people are giving up their hobbies due to cost, which is obviously a shame for them.

"But there are ways that they could make their money go further. Santander’s 1|2|3 Current Account pays cashback on essential household bills paid by direct debit – water, gas, electricity, council tax and Santander mortgages – which means you get extra money in your pocket for doing something you do anyway.”

According to the survey, the average length of time respondents claimed to have enjoyed their main pastime was 19 years.

32% with a hobby admit to spending more time on their hobby than they do socialising and 23% say the same in comparison to time spent with their family.

The results also highlight a number of childhood hobbies left behind. Collecting stamps is the most popular hobby enjoyed by Brits as children, cited by 26%, followed by team sports (20%) and playing a musical instrument (13%).