Man performing sport climbing under overhang. — Photo by Chris. (CC BY 2.0)
New research by firm Magazine.co.uk has revealed the most popular activities Britons choose to do to stay healthy, representing a shift that has come at the height of the pandemic of COVID-19. This applies to those residing across the UK and is based on Google searches. The data was provided to Digital diary for evaluation.
These activities are primarily hobbies, with some being considered more of an “interest” (generally, if the activity requires participation, it is considered a hobby; whereas seeking to learn more about a subject is more often classified as an “interest”).
Some of the activities include:
- Climbing: Climbing is one of the most popular activities in the UK with a 55% growth in interest since the pandemic.
- Roller Skating: Roller skating also grew by 55%.
- SUP: Stand-up paddleboarding has become one of the most popular water activities with a 45% increase in the last two years.
Other hobbies that involve outdoor activity also climbed. For example, kayaking has seen huge success with searches down 123% since 2019.
These examples are just a few of the many newly researched interests. Since 2019, there has been a 48% increase in Google searches for ‘hobbies’, reaching over 1.2 million searches per month in 2022
In terms of less active hobbies, interest in trainspotting has jumped 33% since the pandemic.
The overall list of “trendy” hobbies is:
| Rank | Leisure | VMS March 2019-Feb 2020 | VMS January 2021 – December 2021 | % change in monthly search volume pre-pandemic vs. now |
| 1 | Escalation | 18100 | 40500 | 55% |
| =1 | Roller | 40500 | 90500 | 55% |
| =1 | Gardening | 60500 | 135000 | 55% |
| 2 | SUPPER | 12100 | 22200 | 45% |
| =2 | Angling | 5400 | 9900 | 45% |
| =2 | Golf | 110000 | 201000 | 45% |
| =2 | Pottery | 22200 | 40500 | 45% |
| 3 | Cross stitch | 14800 | 22200 | 33% |
| =3 | Open water swimming | 4400 | 6600 | 33% |
| =3 | Patchwork | 5400 | 8100 | 33% |
| =3 | Sculpture | 18100 | 27100 | 33% |
| =3 | Singing | 60500 | 90500 | 33% |
| =3 | Games | 33100 | 49500 | 33% |
| =3 | Trainspotting | 49500 | 74000 | 33% |
| =3 | Pastry shop | 27100 | 40500 | 33% |
| =3 | Canoe Kayak | 27100 | 40500 | 33% |
| =3 | Fishing | 27100 | 40500 | 33% |
| 4 | amateur photography | 1900 | 2400 | 21% |
| =5 | Paint | 110000 | 135000 | 19% |
| =5 | Resistance training | 6600 | 8100 | 19% |
| =5 | Rowing | 6600 | 8100 | 19% |
Despite these changes in search popularity, more established hobbies remain in the top 10. The most popular hobby among British subjects is drawing with an average of 246,000 Google searches per month, followed by golf with 201,000 searches.
Reading, DIY, gardening and painting are also among the most popular hobbies in the UK. The main hobbies, based on Internet activity, are:
| RANK | Leisure | MSV January 2021-December 2021 |
| 1 | Design | 246000 |
| 2 | Golf | 201000 |
| 3 | Read books | 165000 |
| =3 | DIY | 165000 |
| =3 | Kayak | 165000 |
| =3 | Tennis | 165000 |
| 4 | Gardening | 135000 |
| =4 | Paint | 135000 |
| 5 | Guitar | 90500 |
| =5 | Roller | 90500 |
| =5 | Functioning | 90500 |
| =5 | Singing | 90500 |
| =5 | Sketch | 90500 |
There are some regional differences that become apparent when data for the twenty most populous cities are considered. Although drawing still dominates, leading searches in nine of the 20 cities analyzed, there are certain areas where golf leads (in seven cities). The favorite pastime of Londoners is kayaking, although the city is not located on the coast. Golf was preferred by the Scottish cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
