(de-news.net) – The ‘Freizeitmonitor 2025,’ issued by the Hamburg Foundation for Future Studies, reveals a marked transformation in leisure behavior among over 3,000 German citizens aged 18 and above. Weekly engagement with social media has more than doubled since 2012, rising from 34% to 72%. This growth reflects a broader shift toward on-demand media consumption, evidenced by substantial increases in the use of streaming services (58%) and audio-based formats such as podcasts and audiobooks (25%). In contrast, traditional media usage has declined significantly: newspaper and magazine readership has decreased from 72% in 2010 to 38%, while the consumption of linear television and radio has fallen to 83% and 70%, respectively.

Ulrich Reinhardt, the foundation’s scientific director, attributes this evolution to enhanced personalization, convenience, and continuous accessibility. Media consumption is increasingly detached from fixed temporal and spatial constraints. The data also highlight notable changes in digital consumer behavior: with the proliferation of flat-rate streaming models, music has become the third most common leisure pursuit (83%), and online purchasing has surged—76% of respondents report making monthly online purchases, a sharp rise from 35% in 2010.

On the other hand, the report indicates a pronounced shift in social engagement patterns. A preference for livestreamed interactions over traditional face-to-face encounters has emerged, underscoring the dominance of digital activities in contemporary life. Internet usage has become the most prevalent leisure activity across all generational cohorts, with 98% of respondents reporting frequent engagement. Notwithstanding the pervasive presence of online behavior, physical activity has experienced renewed popularity: more than half of the population engages in regular exercise at least once per week, including jogging, fitness training, and walking.