The lifestyles of UK residents have undergone some substantial changes over the past few decades.

The lifestyles of UK residents have undergone some substantial changes over the past few decades. Among the most notable changes are those that have taken place in the patterns of leisure activity for a large proportion of the population.

(PRWEB) September 21, 2003 --Research and Markets have announced the addition of the "Trends in Leisure Activities Market Assessment 2003" report to their offering.

The lifestyles of UK residents have undergone some substantial changes over the past few decades. Among the most notable changes are those that have taken place in the patterns of leisure activity for a large proportion of the population.

This report — a thorough review of a report with the same title published in 2001 — analyses current demand for those products and services that serve the leisure activities market, including audio-visual and computer equipment, sports equipment and games, as well as cultural and recreational services provided by cinemas, theatres, libraries and museums.

The report also reviews other leisure activities such as gambling, gardening and reading. It considers the response of providers to the challenges posed by the business environment, challenges that span a wide spectrum of political, economic, demographic, social and technical issues.

Over the past 25 years, increases in disposable income and consumer expenditure have brought about steady growth in leisure markets. This growth in demand has been sustained by the continued development of products that have relied for their success on technical developments such as CDs, videos, DVDs, the Internet and digital radio and television. Changes in leisure lifestyles have also been supported by the development of concepts such as branded restaurants, multiplex cinemas and fitness centres that have relied less upon technical progress and more on innovation and organisational and marketing expertise.

Demographic changes have also influenced the balance of demand for different leisure products. On the basis of exclusive research commissioned from BMRB Access, we have established the extent to which patterns of leisure activity vary across the different segments of the UK population. Of particular note are the changes that have taken place in the age structure of the population and in household composition, with the population becoming older and household size becoming smaller, in part a consequence of a rising divorce rate.

Other social changes that have taken place over the past 25 years include the 'feminisation of leisure' resulting from an increase in women's disposable income, and a consequent opening up of new markets for female special interest activities (e.g. health and fitness). Traditional male preserves such as the pub are being rebranded to appeal to women customers and target women drinkers.

Patterns of work have also been changing significantly, leading to increased pressure on time and encouraging a greater variety of leisure activities. So-called 'third place' locations, away from both home and the workplace, have become a particular focus for social interaction and leisure consumption.

Over the past 5 years, consumer spending on leisure activities has been increasing at a slightly faster rate than consumer spending in total. The largest sector of the market is the restaurants and cafés sector, while the fastest-growing sector has been the 'other major durables' sector (including the purchase of caravans, camper vans, musical instruments and sports equipment). The 'other recreational goods, gardens and pets' sector was the second-fastest growing sector, while the most mature and slowest-growing sector has been the 'newspapers, books and stationery' market.

Despite the presence of large operators in some sectors, including parts of the media, overall, the leisure activities market is highly fragmented and characterised by strong competition.

There is a large degree of variation between sectors in the level of advertising, attributable to differences in both the types of product and the characteristics of the market. Some products, such as videos and CDs, are standardised, hence, they can be effectively advertised through national campaigns targeting national markets, whereas others, such as most restaurant services, largely still provide a local service where low budget local advertising via press or radio rather than on national television may be called for.

A consideration of consumer behaviour reveals the most popular leisure activity in the UK to be watching television, with nearly 100% of UK households owning or renting a television set. Listening to the radio also remains popular as a leisure pastime, although listening takes place in other locations as well as in the home. Other items of leisure equipment include CD players, present in over 80% of UK households. On average, the time spent on leisure activities (defined as enjoying entertainment and culture, sports and outdoor activities, television and video) totalled 3.05 hours a day for men and 2.53 hours for women.

A review of the international leisure market shows that in the developed world, the recreation, entertainment, education and culture sector has significantly increased its share of total consumer spending over the past 25 years. It also shows that many leisure market trends are found across the whole of the EU, whereas others are peculiar to specific countries.

This Market Assessment report also considers the future development of the leisure activities market and predicts rates of growth in each of the main sectors.

In general, over the next few years, technologically driven innovation is likely to continue to have an impact on the leisure activities market. The business environment is also expected to remain favourable to the continued growth of the UK leisure activities market, whatever the political persuasion of the government, and given that the UK economy is likely to avoid serious recession.

With consumers continuing to place leisure activities high on their list of spending preferences, once more basic needs for food, shelter and personal mobility have been satisfied, the sector should be able to ride out a modest slackening in the rate of growth in the economy.

The forecasts presented in this report are subject to some uncertainty at the time of writing this report (May 2003), particularly in the light of the war with Iraq, with its largely unpredictable consequences in terms of terrorist activity, oil price changes and impact on the level of economic activity in the UK.

For a complete index of this report click on http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/36350

REPORT DATA SUMMARY:
Trends in Leisure Activities Market Assessment 2003
Category: Travel & Tourism
URL: www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/36350

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