Overview
- The Stiftung für Zukunftsfragen surveyed more than 3,000 people in July and published the Freizeit‑Monitor 2026 on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, reporting that digital media now make up the largest share of everyday leisure.
- Ten‑year changes show sharp declines for traditional media—TV down 13 percentage points, radio down 20 and newspaper reading down 36—while social media rose 23 points, gaming 24 points and music listening 30 points.
- The study measured AI use for the first time and found 42 percent of respondents use AI at least weekly, with 62 percent of 18–24 year‑olds reporting weekly use.
- Regular in‑person sociability has fallen steadily over decades to 19 percent who regularly go out with friends, even as visits to parks, museums, concerts and weekly sport participation have increased.
- Overall leisure time stayed stable at about three and a half hours per workday, a pattern the report links to digital flexibility that blurs work and free time and to a rise in deliberate downtime such as chilling.