HALIFAX, February 12, 2021
With home isolation and social distancing regulations in place throughout the year, Canadians have found new ways to fill their time during the pandemic. Indeed, two-thirds of residents (63%) report that they have taken up a new hobby. Playing games is the most commonly-reported new hobby, with three in ten (31%) citing playing video games, board games, or puzzles, while a similar portion of residents mention they have taken up cooking or baking (29%). One-quarter of residents mention taking up sports or exercise (24%) such as running, hiking, yoga, weight training or cycling. Two in ten residents have taken up crafts or arts including hobbies such as knitting, woodworking, sewing, painting, or photography.
Just under four in ten residents (37%) report that they haven’t undertaken any new hobbies.
Across the country, residents of Ontario are most likely to report taking up cooking or baking as a hobby, whereas those in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and BC are least likely.
There are interesting differences across demographics, with Gen Z residents being the most likely to have taken up video games. The portion of residents indicating playing games as a new hobby decreases with age. Millennials are most likely to report taking up crafts/arts compared to any other age category. Boomers are most likely to report that they haven’t undertaken any new hobbies, followed by Gen Xers. Additionally, females are more likely to have undertaken hobbies such as crafts/arts and cooking and baking, compared to males.
Results are from an online survey conducted January 15 – 19, 2021, with 1,233 Canadians 18 years of age or older from the Logit Group’s Canadian Omnibus. Fielding every month, the Logit Group’s COVID-19 Omnibus surveys Canadians to ask their opinions and behaviours related to topical issues. Results were analyzed by Narrative Research. Data was weighted based on the 2016 Census, by gender, age, and region to reflect population characteristics in each province. As a non-probability sample (i.e., a panel sample where residents have joined a panel to share their opinions), and in accordance with CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards, a margin of error is not applied.
Question included in this release include the following:
- Which new hobbies, if any, have you begun since the COVID-19 pandemic began?
For more information, please contact:
Margaret Brigley, CEO, Narrative Research – 902.493.3830, mbrigley@narrativeresearch.ca
OR
Margaret Chapman, COO, Narrative Research – 902.493.3834, mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca
OR
Sam Pisani, Managing Partner, Logit Group – 416.629.4116, sam.pisani@logitgroup.com
Narrative Research (www.narrativeresearch.ca), is a leading public opinion and market research company headquartered in Canada. The company was recently certified as a WBE (Women Business Enterprise). As a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned research company, Narrative Research is dedicated to providing clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services. Follow us on Twitter at @EveryNarrative
The Logit Group (https://logitgroup.com/) is a leading North American data collection and market research execution company headquartered in Toronto, conducting large-scale projects for a variety of well-known research agencies and brands. Logit employs industry-best technologies across an array of methodologies, and is independent, experienced and quality-oriented.
Follow us on Twitter at @LogitGroup
