Germans Swap Friends for Screens in Their Free Time

August 26, 2026 | 06:10 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Germans are spending less of their free time socializing with friends and more on individually planned and digital activities, according to a survey published on Tuesday.

Meeting friends remains the most important social leisure activity, but its role has weakened significantly over time.

How Germans are spending their free time now

The Hamburg Foundation for Future Studies found that just 19% of 3,000 respondents said they regularly went out with friends, down from 37% when its first "Leisure Monitor" was conducted 40 years ago.

"Traditional sociability is losing reach, while social contacts are increasingly shifting toward individually planned and digital forms," said Ulrich Reinhardt, the foundation's scientific director.

He said everyday leisure was increasingly dominated by internet use, television, music and smartphones. Digital activities have grown sharply:

- 82% listen to music digitally at least weekly, up from 52% in 2016.

- 71% use social media weekly, up from 48%.

- 33% play video games weekly, up from 9%.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now used at least once a week by 42% of respondents, rising to 62% among 18- to 24-year-olds.

Reinhardt said younger users were turning to AI not just for information, but also for advice, reassurance and, in some cases, as a substitute for friendship.

Are Germans becoming less active?

Surprisingly, the survey found that Germans were more physically active than they once were.

The survey found that 53% now exercise at least once a week, compared with just 18% in 1986.

Doing nothing or simply relaxing has also become more common, rising 15 percentage points since 2016 to 62%.

The popularity of joining clubs has remained stable, with 18% taking part weekly in sports, singing or other associations. Regular volunteering has even increased, from 6% 40 years ago to 12% today.

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