The line graph illustrates the percentage of five leisure activities -reading, hiking, theatre, watching TV, surfing the internet- of elderly people in the US from 1980 to 2010.
Overall, four activities (watching TV, reading, hiking, surfing the internet) exhibited an increase, while the percentage of people attending theatre declined. Watching TV was initially the most popular activity, however hiking surpassed that activity at the end of the period. Similarly, surfing the internet, the least popular activity, rose, overtaking theatre’s level by the final year.
Initially, watching TV rose steadily from 60% in the 1980s to 70% in the 2000s before falling slightly to 65% by the final year. Meanwhile, hiking, which began at only 20% in the 1980s, surged significantly, surpassing theatre, reading and watching TV, peaking at 80% by the 2010s. Likewise, reading showed a steady growth from 30% in the 1980s to 40% in the 1990s. However, the figure dropped to 20% in the 2000s before recovering sharply to 50% in the 2010s.
Conversely, the percentage of people attending theatre, accounting for 50% in the 1980s, saw a notable decrease, falling to 30% in the 1990s. After that, it climbed steadily to 45% in the 2010s, becoming the least popular activity. Surfing the internet, on the other hand, gained popularity, rising from only 5% in the 1980s to 15% in the 2000s, and continued to grow, reaching 50% by the end of the period.