Creative leisure takes many forms: reading, playing games, using a computer for fun, making art, learning an art form, watching performances, and attending live events. U.S. data shows that these activities vary substantially by age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, employment, household structure, and the setting in which people participate.
Contents
- Daily reading and game time
- Age differences
- Sex and racial or ethnic differences
- Work, earnings, education, and household context
- Hands-on arts creation and learning
- Creative media, reading, and live participation
Daily reading and game time
The American Time Use Survey - 2025 Results reports average primary-activity hours per day for people age 15 and over in the United States. In the 2025 annual average, people spent 0.27 hours per day reading for leisure and 0.62 hours playing games or using a computer for leisure.
The survey distinguishes ordinary weekdays from weekend days and holidays. Reading averaged 0.27 hours on weekdays and 0.28 hours on weekend days and holidays. Games or leisure computer use averaged 0.59 hours on weekdays and 0.69 hours on weekend days and holidays. These figures describe average daily time, not the share of people who participated.
| Activity, U.S. people age 15+ | Weekdays | Weekend days and holidays | 2025 annual average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading for leisure | 0.27 hours | 0.28 hours | 0.27 hours |
| Games or leisure computer use | 0.59 hours | 0.69 hours | 0.62 hours |
The BLS measure covers personal-interest reading and leisure use of games or computers. It does not present these activities as a complete measure of creativity; rather, it gives a consistent view of two common ways people use free time.
Age differences
Age is strongly associated with the balance between reading and games or leisure computer use. In 2025, people ages 15–19 averaged 1.53 hours per day using games or computers for leisure. Their reading estimate was suppressed in the BLS source, so no reading value is reported here.
Among people ages 20–24, daily averages were 0.10 hours of reading and 1.08 hours of games or leisure computer use. The ages 25–34 group averaged 0.17 hours of reading and 0.91 hours of games or leisure computer use. For ages 35–44, the corresponding figures were 0.22 and 0.44 hours.
The 45–54 group averaged 0.21 hours reading and 0.39 hours using games or computers for leisure. People ages 55–64 averaged 0.21 hours reading and 0.26 hours of games or leisure computer use. Among ages 65–74, reading rose to 0.46 hours while games or leisure computer use averaged 0.43 hours. People age 75 and over averaged 0.62 hours reading and 0.48 hours using games or computers for leisure.
| Age group | Reading per day | Games or leisure computer use per day |
|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | Suppressed | 1.53 hours |
| 20–24 | 0.10 hours | 1.08 hours |
| 25–34 | 0.17 hours | 0.91 hours |
| 35–44 | 0.22 hours | 0.44 hours |
| 45–54 | 0.21 hours | 0.39 hours |
| 55–64 | 0.21 hours | 0.26 hours |
| 65–74 | 0.46 hours | 0.43 hours |
| 75 and over | 0.62 hours | 0.48 hours |
The pattern is not a simple increase or decrease across every activity. The youngest reported age group had the highest games or leisure computer-use average, while reading was highest among people age 75 and over among the groups with reported reading estimates.
Sex and racial or ethnic differences
In 2025, women age 15 and over averaged 0.31 hours of reading per day, compared with 0.23 hours for men. Games and leisure computer use showed the reverse pattern: men averaged 0.80 hours per day, compared with 0.46 hours for women. These are averages for primary activities and do not describe every individual’s routine.
The BLS racial and ethnic estimates also show different combinations of reading and game or leisure computer use. White people age 15 and over averaged 0.29 hours of reading and 0.62 hours of games or leisure computer use per day. Black or African American people averaged 0.14 hours of reading and 0.69 hours of games or leisure computer use.
Asian people averaged 0.20 hours of reading and 0.49 hours of games or leisure computer use. Hispanic or Latino people averaged 0.09 hours of reading and 0.58 hours of games or leisure computer use. The categories describe the BLS reporting groups and should not be treated as explanations for the differences.
The SPPA Comprehensive Report 2022 offers a different measure of creative activity among U.S. adults. For the 12 months ending in July 2022, 55.0% of female adults created or performed art, compared with 48.5% of male adults. This annual participation measure is not directly comparable with the BLS daily hours.
Work, earnings, education, and household context
Employment and household circumstances also align with different daily averages. In 2025, employed people age 15 and over averaged 0.18 hours of reading and 0.53 hours of games or leisure computer use per day. Full-time workers averaged 0.17 hours reading and 0.47 hours using games or computers for leisure. People who were not employed averaged 0.40 hours reading and 0.76 hours of games or leisure computer use.
Among full-time single-job wage and salary workers, those earning $0–$840 per week averaged 0.17 hours reading and 0.65 hours of games or leisure computer use. Workers earning $2,021 or more per week averaged 0.23 hours reading and 0.37 hours of games or leisure computer use. These earnings groups are reported as categories, not as a causal comparison.
Household children corresponded with another difference. People in households without children under 18 averaged 0.32 hours reading and 0.66 hours of games or leisure computer use. Those in households with children under 18 averaged 0.17 hours reading and 0.55 hours of games or leisure computer use.
The age of the youngest child matters within households with children. People whose youngest household child was under age 6 averaged 0.20 hours reading and 0.29 hours of games or leisure computer use. People whose household children were ages 13–17, with none younger, averaged 0.14 hours reading and 0.69 hours of games or leisure computer use.
Education among adults age 25 and over showed a reading gradient in the BLS estimates. Adults with less than a high school diploma averaged 0.08 hours of reading per day; their games or leisure computer-use estimate was suppressed. Adults with a high school diploma and no college averaged 0.19 hours reading and 0.55 hours of games or leisure computer use.
Adults with some college or an associate degree averaged 0.30 hours reading and 0.59 hours of games or leisure computer use. Those with a bachelor’s degree or higher averaged 0.39 hours reading and 0.44 hours of games or leisure computer use. The figures describe time-use averages for education groups and do not establish that education caused the activity levels.
Hands-on arts creation and learning
The 2022 SPPA measures participation during the 12 months ending in July 2022. During that reference period, 51.8% of U.S. adults created or performed art at least once. A smaller, but still substantial, 29.1% learned an art form, subject, or topic at least once.
Participation varied by age. Adults ages 18–24 had a 65.9% arts-creation or performance rate, while adults age 75 and over had a 42.1% rate. The corresponding rates for learning an art form, subject, or topic were 44.8% for ages 18–24 and 20.4% for adults age 75 and over.
The 2022 report also records differences by race and ethnicity and education. Non-Hispanic White adults had a 56.0% arts-creation or performance rate, compared with 40.9% for non-Hispanic Black adults. Adults with a graduate-school education had a 64.1% arts-creation or performance rate and a 41.0% rate of learning an art form, subject, or topic.
Compared with 2017, the share of U.S. adults who created or performed art was 10.9 percentage points higher in 2022. Among adults ages 18–24, the arts-creation or performance rate was 19.3 percentage points higher. These are reported 2017–2022 comparisons in the SPPA report; they are not daily-time estimates.
Creative media, reading, and live participation
Creative leisure also includes consuming art through media and taking part in arts activities in person. In the 12 months ending in July 2022, 74.8% of U.S. adults consumed art through media at least once. In the same period, 53.0% read books or literature at least once, and 47.9% attended an in-person arts event at least once.
The detailed media measures show several distinct forms of participation. In 2022, 70.4% of adults watched or listened to performing arts using a device, down 1.9 percentage points from 72.3% in 2017. A total of 37.0% used a device to watch or listen to documentaries. Another 11.1% used a device to look at visual artworks such as paintings, sculptures, or pottery, while 7.1% used a device at a museum, theater, or concert hall to interact with a performance or art exhibit.
Sharing creative work online was reported by 21.0% of adults: that share created or performed an art activity or performance and shared it on the internet during the reference period.
Reading participation can also be described by volume. Among adults who read at least one book or literary work in 2022, 20.9% reported reading 11–49 books during the prior 12 months. Among female readers, 9.7% reported reading 50 or more books, compared with 3.7% of male readers.
Live performance settings were varied. Among adults who attended live performances in 2022, 54.9% attended at open-air facilities such as parks, pavilions, or amphitheaters. In the same group, 32.7% attended performances at restaurants, bars, nightclubs, or coffee shops. These percentages apply to adults who attended live performances, not to all U.S. adults.