Family Time Takes Centre Stage

Forget notions of the iPhone generation ushering in the age of the individual: five of the seven most popular leisure pursuits in Britain today involve family members enjoying quality time with each other - according to new research from intu (http://www.intugroup.co.uk ).

Forget notions of the iPhone generation ushering in the age of the individual: five of the seven most popular leisure pursuits in Britain today involve family members enjoying quality time with each other - according to new research from intu (http://www.intugroup.co.uk ).

Dashing fears of a broken society and the decline of the family unit, these latest figures from the UK's leading shopping centre operator suggest the majority of adults jealously guard their free time, prioritise leisure pursuits with family members and have an active attitude towards getting out of the house to enjoy their downtime.

Eating out with family and friends (55%), seeing family and relatives (55%), cooking a family meal (41%) and having a family trip out (40%) were all top choices for how people spend their free time. Further, people were clear about the real benefits that leisure time had on their lives: 50% said it strengthened family bonds, 38% said it rekindled friendships and 32% said it charged them up for the week ahead at work.

The research forms part of a major forthcoming report from intu, which explores how people around the UK choose to spend their valuable leisure time during the week and weekend, with whom and what they spend their money on. Beyond the daily staples of watching TV and reading, the majority of Britons value shared experiences. Further, after a period of austerity when common budget cutbacks included staying at home in the evenings (44%) and avoiding eating out (46%)*, many are now opting to go out to enjoy their free time with eating out with family or friends overtaking meeting for drinks.

Top 10 ways we like to spend our free time

Additional findings and themes:

Trevor Pereira, commercial director at intu commented: "The aim of this research was to shed fresh light on how people today are spending their free time and who they are spending it with. We uncovered some really interesting results. As a nation we are really waking up to the benefits of leisure and its ability to strengthen family bonds, rekindle friendships and even energise us for the working week. At a time when there has been so much focus on the drivers behind economic recovery and consumer confidence, the importance of active, enriching leisure time as a trigger to a positive consumer outlook has not been fully explored.

 "In our shopping centres across the UK, we have seen a marked change in recent years. Our customers want to do more than just shop at today's shopping centre; they want a place to meet and share time together, whether for a coffee with friends or a family meal out. They are increasingly looking for exciting leisure experiences and events that can be shared by the whole family. Our shopping centres offer a huge variety of leisure activities, from LEGO interactive play areas, Sea Life centres and indoor skiing, to bowling, dining and cinema options. Over the last 12-months we have brought Elephant Parade back to the UK, held national free arts festivals, run immersive and engaging fashion events, hosted thousands of students at our student evenings and held food festival weekends which have been enjoyed by millions of people. Creating uniquely compelling leisure experiences is the future of the shopping centre in Britain and we are driving this change."

 

Notes to Editors:

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 3,313 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken in July 2014.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

References

* Vision Critical research: Autumn 2012

About intu

intu owns 18 of the UK's favourite shopping centres, including nine of the top 20, and the UK's first online shopping centre, intu.co.uk. With 400 million customer visits and over 30 million unique customers we have a unique insight into today's customer and what they are looking for from their shopping experience.

We are passionate about trying to provide our customers with their perfect shopping centre experience through our 'world class service' promise, running events with a difference, free high quality wifi, and little touches designed to raise a smile as you shop.