A new report from Attic Self Storage reveals that Londoners are choosing quirkier pursuits compared to the rest of the UK. Here’s how Londoners differ:
- Londoners are 48% more likely than the average Brit to play cards such as poker.
- Around 1 in 15 Londoners are into creative writing, from novels to poetry, a hobby that is 42% more popular in the capital.
- Londoners are more into amateur dramatics and dance, with 32% more participants than elsewhere.
- Coding as a new hobby trend? Research shows that Londoners are 20% more likely to code as a pastime than the average Brit.
Meanwhile, traditional pastimes like knitting are less popular in London, with 41% fewer people taking it up regularly.
“Hobbies in London aren’t just about filling time anymore — they’re how people are managing stress, making themselves more employable and finding friends,” says Danny King, Head of Stores at Attic Self Storage.
“But with limited space, people are literally making room for hobbies that don’t take over their lives.” This is a particularly relevant issue in London, where the average home is just 47m² and over a third of residents are unhappy with their living conditions.
For some Londoners, this means that hobbies often remain unfinished. “There’s just less time, less money and less space,” says Wana, a South London resident. “When I do find time, I’d rather try something completely new like violin or weightlifting, but I rarely stick to it. For me, it’s more about doing something with other people than doing it long-term.”
Despite the rise of niche interests, fitness still dominates London’s hobby scene. Attic Self Storage’s analysis of Google search data shows that 80% of the capital’s top 20 most-searched classes are fitness related, with yoga leading at 3.6k monthly searches, followed by pilates (2.9k), zumba (2.4k), boxing (1.9k) and swimming (1.9k).