Leisure time and income : some evidence from Poland

Changes in time management reflect contemporary socio-economic trends. Indicators of the use of leisure time may be considered as unconventional measures of the quality of life. The structure of time budget, in addition to the structure of consumer spending, is also considered to be a full-fledged component of individual and social well-being. The analysis of the time budget of the population is therefore an interesting issue related to the problems of the living conditions of families in Poland. It is also a valuable source of information on the amount and management of time for work, household duties, education, recreation and rest. The paper is aimed at analysing the time budget of the Polish population, with particular emphasis on leisure time and evaluation of changes that occurred in leisure time management during the period 2003/2004–2013. The authors attempt to assess the diversification of time devoted to leisure depending on the level of income among working people. The analysis was carried out on the basis of the Time Use Survey conducted by the Central Statistical Office of Poland. Transformation in leisure time management has been identified during the analysed period. Namely, the pursuing of one’s hobbies and abandoning of traditional media (television, radio) in favour of the Internet are becoming increasingly popular. The income level has a limited impact on time management and the observed dynamics of changes do not influence any changes in leisure time use in quintile groups.