The graphs illustrate the average amount of time per day that people in different age groups in New Zealand spend on two leisure activities: reading for pleasure and listening to music.
Overall, the amount of time devoted to reading increases steadily with age, whereas time spent listening to music shows a fluctuating pattern, being highest among the youngest and oldest age groups.
Looking first at reading for pleasure, people aged 15-24 spend the least time on this activity, at around 20 minutes per day. This figure rises gradually to approximately 35 minutes for those aged 25-34 and reaches about 45 minutes among the 35-44 age group. A further increase can be seen in the 45-54 group, who read for roughly 50 minutes daily, before peaking at around 70 minutes among people aged 55 and over.
In contrast, listening to music is most popular among younger individuals. The 15-24 age group spends the highest amount of time on this activity, at about 80 minutes per day. This figure then declines to around 60 minutes for those aged 25-34 and reaches a low point of approximately 45 minutes among people aged 35-44. However, the time spent listening to music rises again in later life, increasing to around 60 minutes for the 45-54 group and nearly 75 minutes among those aged 55 and above.