Cooking, screens, sports, cultural outings: the surveys published in 2024 paint a contrasting picture of the leisure time of the French. Three major categories of leisure stand out when cross-referencing the observations compiled by several specialized media. Understanding which ones, and especially measuring the gaps between them, allows us to grasp what truly structures relaxation habits in the country.
Cooking, screens, and sports: the comparative data on favorite leisure activities in France
Several sources converge to place cooking, screens, and sports at the top of the leisure activities practiced by the French. Sports practice, often cited as the number one leisure activity, is neck-and-neck with domestic and digital activities.
| Leisure Activity | Observation |
|---|---|
| Cooking and baking | Regularly cited among the top three declared leisure activities |
| Screen activities (video games, internet, TV) | Includes streaming, social networks, games |
| Regular sports activity | Nearly 6 out of 10 French people (ABCBourse data, including walking and cycling) |
The leading trio surprises with its density: the three categories exceed the halfway mark of the adult population. The gap widens significantly with the following leisure activities, a sign that time and budget are lacking to diversify practices.
By analyzing the topics covered by Utile au Quotidien, we find this confirmed trio, with additional insight into the growing place of home sports and cooking as a social activity.
Leisure budget of the French: cost as the primary barrier to sports practice
The most revealing data does not focus on what the French spend, but on what prevents them from doing more. Cost has become the main barrier to sports practice, ahead of lack of time and insufficient local offerings. Families are increasingly turning to buying second-hand equipment or borrowing to circumvent this financial barrier.
This budget constraint partly explains the success of domestic leisure. Cooking does not require a monthly subscription. Watching a series or playing online relies on a plan already subscribed to. Home sports, through online courses and apps, are growing for the same reason: they eliminate the cost of club membership and travel.
Free or low-cost leisure: walking on the rise
A study by the Union Sport et Cycle for the French Hiking Federation, published in 2025, indicates that 62% of the French have practiced walking or hiking in the past twelve months. This figure represents three million additional practitioners compared to 2021.
Walking requires neither expensive equipment nor registration. It illustrates a shift towards accessible practices, in line with current economic constraints. This leisure activity sits at the intersection of sport and relaxation, complicating its classification in surveys, but reinforcing its real weight in daily life.
Digital leisure in France: practices that are fragmenting
The high score of screen activities masks considerable diversity. Playing a video game on a console, scrolling through a social network during a lunch break, and watching a documentary on streaming do not engage the same time or attention.
- Video streaming (subscription platforms) dominates recreational screen time, with sessions lengthening on weekends
- Video games reach a broader audience than one might think, including casual mobile players who do not define themselves as “gamers”
- Social networks function as a filler leisure activity, practiced in the interstices of the day rather than as a chosen activity
This fragmentation makes the “screens” category difficult to compare with cooking or sports, which correspond to dedicated moments. A French person who cooks for thirty minutes in the evening and spends two hours on their phone does not necessarily classify the phone as their main leisure activity.
Cultural outings and aspirations: the gap between desire and actual practice
Cinema, concerts, and museum visits remain desired activities but are hindered by budget and geographical distance. The audiences furthest from major metropolitan areas remain underrepresented in cultural venue attendance.
- Cinema remains the most frequent cultural outing, supported by a dense network of theaters
- Concerts and festivals attract a younger audience, with marked seasonality (spring-summer)
- Museums and exhibitions are gaining traction among families, but their attendance remains correlated with education level
The cultural aspirations of the French do not therefore mechanically translate into practice. Cultural leisure remains a more divisive social marker than cooking or screens, which are accessible without mobility or prior cultural capital conditions.
The cooking-screens-sports trio dominates declared leisure activities in 2024, but the underlying dynamics tell a different story. Walking is gaining ground, sports are migrating to the home, and cultural outings remain more of a wish than a habit. Household budget decisions weigh on each category without showing in the overall percentages.
