The line chart illustrates the proportion of leisure time that older people in the US spent on their leisure activities, from 1980 to the present. Overall, the percentages for activities of reading, hiking, watching TV, and surfing the Internet increased over the period, while the proportion of time spent on theatre saw a reverse trend. Additionally, the amount of time for hiking showed the most significant growth.
Regarding the activities of hiking and watching TV, the amount of time spent watching TV constituted the highest share at the beginning of the period at 60%, before increasing to 70% in the next 20 years. Subsequently, it declined at a relatively lower rate to roughly 65% at the end. Besides, although commencing with one-fifth, which was regarded as being ranked fourth in percentage among five activities, the figure for hiking witnessed a consistent rise to the highest point at the end of the period, at 80%.
For the remaining activities, there was a limited amount of time spent on surfing the Internet, accounting for roughly 5%; it then slightly increased to 15% in the 2000s before witnessing a remarkable rise to 50% in the 2010s. Furthermore, the figure for reading fluctuated from 20% to 60% during the period, despite the beginning figure of 30%. Finally, 50% of leisure time was spent on theatre in the 1980s. Then, it fell to 30%, followed by a moderate recovery to over 45% in the 2010s, reflecting the lowest percentage compared to the others.