UK consumers spend an average of £200 a month on leisure, amounting to £8.3bn collectively, new research has shown.
But the poll by vouchercodes.co.uk showed 27% say they spent more on drinking out/clubbing five years ago.
The research shows the average spend on eating out was £39 a month with £32 a month on drinking out and clubbing.
Spend on socialising is now estimated to take up almost a quarter (21%) of the average disposable income.
The research also revealed that there is a large disparity between what men and women spend on leisure, with men spending £231 while women spend just £171 per month. Men spend almost double (£41) that of women (£23) on drinking out and clubbing, and significantly more eating out (£46 vs. £33). Women’s spending on entertainment activities such as going to the cinema and bowling (£14) was much closer to the amount spent by men (£15).
Claire Davenport, Managing Director at VoucherCodes.co.uk, said: “Consumer confidence is booming and it’s great to see this translating into people using their money to enjoy life. This is a fantastic opportunity for the leisure industry, with austerity now seemingly well and truly a thing of the past.
“The disparity between what men and women are spending on leisure is interesting to note. Specifically for the on-trade, men are spending almost double that of women when drinking out. An opportunity for the industry could be to make leisure experiences more appealing and higher in the ‘order of needs’ for women.”
