5 Things Australians Do To Entertain Themselves

As social media networks continue to dominate the internet, more Australians are spending time online. There are still millions that spend hours in front of the television each week.

Here are the top ways that Australians entertain themselves, according to a recent Multi-screen Report, produced by OzTAM, Regional TAM and Nielsen.

1. Watching TV

On an ordinary Sunday evening, 6.5 million Australians from the big cities are watching television. 93% of homes have digital televisions while 54% of homes have personal video recorders. Although a lot of Australians like to watch TV, many folks also tend to multitask by using other gadgets while viewing TV programs. 67% of TV viewers multitask with 63% using a laptop, 36% using their tablets and 50% using a smartphone. In a month, the average person watches 93 hours and 16 minutes of television.

2. Browsing the internet

80% of homes regularly access the internet to browse or spend time on social media networks. On the average, internet browsers spend 7.48 hours each month viewing videos online. Significant growth in Australian users has been recorded in the top social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in the past year.

3. Playing games on their smartphone

Majority of the 6.5 million also tend to play with their smartphone, tablet or laptop. 42% of homes have tablets which is an increase of 23% from 2012. More individuals over 15 years old own smartphones at 69%.

4. Reading

Australians also prefer reading newspapers, magazines and books. Majority of Australians read the newspaper at least once a week. 77% read newspapers, 58% read magazines and 48% read books. 26% of men like to go to the library while 41% of women regularly read books there.

5. Listen to the radio

A Nielsen study also showed that 8.8 million Australians from capital cities listen to the radio about 17 hours each week. About 2.3 million individuals listen to ABC local radio.

Other popular ways that Australians entertain themselves include watching movies in a cinema. 67% watch movies with 53% going to the cinema at least five times each year. 37% also spend time going to zoos and aquariums, 30% watch music concerts and 22% go to museums and art galleries. 21% of women watch musicals and operas, but only half of men go. The kind of entertainment people prefer also changes depending on their age group. Younger individuals spend more time on the internet or playing with their smartphones and tablets while older Australians prefer to watch plays and theatre.