Tekijät

• Advisory Council for Youth Affairs (Nuora)
• Finnish Youth Research Society. Finnish Youth Research Network

Asiasanat

adolescents, children, exercise (physical activity), hobbies, interpersonal communication, leisure time, leisure time activities, physical activities, social life, sport, youth

Sisällön kuvaus

The survey studied the leisure time activities of Finnish children and young people aged from seven to 29. Data collection is carried out every three years and this time the main theme was physical and sporting activities.

The parents/guardians of the respondents between 7 and 14 years of age were first asked questions about the time the child spent on the computer (including tablet and smart phone), watching TV and exercising. The parents/guardians were also asked whether they themselves or the other parent/guardian had been involved in voluntary work relating to sports or exercise in the previous 12 months. The respondents aged 15-29 answered these questions themselves.

The respondents were asked how much leisure time they felt they had, how often they met their friends, spoke on the phone and chatted online with them, and how many close friends they had. The respondents aged 10-29 were asked whether they had a girl/boyfriend. The next set of questions investigated in which places and how often the respondents spent time with their friends as well as whether the respondents had ever felt that they were not welcome in a certain place.

The respondents' hobbies and physical activities were charted. Questions probed whether the respondents had a hobby and whether their parents participated in the hobby in any way. Questions about physical activities investigated whether the respondents thought they exercised enough, whether they did any sport or physical activity and how often they walked, cycled or used motor vehicles to travel to school, hobbies etc. Different ways and places to exercise were charted (e.g. with friends, in a sports club, university sports services) as well as whether the respondents had quit exercising in a sports club and the reasons for this.

The respondents who exercised were asked to rate the importance of various reasons for exercising and those who did not were asked the importance of a number reasons for not exercising. Hobbies and interests that did not involve physical exercise were surveyed as well as the frequency of these hobbies. Satisfaction with leisure time, appearance, fitness, health and life in general were was investigated.

Finally, the respondents were asked to what extent they agreed with statements about leisure time and life in general (e.g. "You can affect your leisure time opportunities in your neighbourhood", "You feel lonely") and whether they identified themselves as a child, young person or adult.

Background variables included the respondent's age, gender, mother tongue, household composition, number and ages of household members, education level of the mother, type of neighbourhood and gross annual income of the household. For those aged 15-29, further background variables included the type of educational institution, employment status, economic activity and education.