The bar chart compares the percentages of children in three age groups who participated in four different activities in a European country in 2009.
Overall, watching television was the most popular activity among the youngest children, whereas riding bikes was most common among those aged 12-15. Playing video games was the least popular activity among the oldest group, while participation in reading comics was relatively similar across all age categories.
Among children aged 5-8, approximately 95% watched television, making it by far the most popular activity in this group. The figures for reading comics and playing video games were considerably lower, at around 62% and 60%, respectively. Riding bikes was undertaken by roughly 67% of children in this age category.
The pattern was somewhat different among older children. Television viewing accounted for about 80% of participation among both the 9-11 and 12-15 age groups. Around 65% of children in the two older categories read comics, compared with just over 60% of the youngest group. Video gaming declined slightly to approximately 58% among 9-11-year-olds, before falling more sharply to 40% among those aged 12-15. By contrast, cycling became increasingly popular with age, reaching just over 80% in the oldest group.
