With 2024 well and truly upon us, many Brits have vowed to set themselves big goals for the year ahead, with many planning to take up new hobbies and interests in order to begin their year positively.

Interestingly, there has been an average of 5,400 monthly searches for ‘New Year’s resolutions’, according to Google Search Trend data. With this in mind, Adobe Express conducted a survey of 2,000 UK adults to conclude the most popular hobbies UK adults are turning to in 2024 to help them relax and unwind, as well as how creative they see themselves as.

The Top 10 Hobbies Brits Enjoy in Order to Relax

Rank

Hobby

Percentage of respondents regularly undertaking the hobby (%)

1

Reading

35%

2

Walking

30%

3

Cooking and Baking

29%

4

Playing an instrument / Sports (solo)

25%

5

Journaling

22%

6

Writing

20%

=7

Sports (as a team)

18%

=7

Art, drawing, and illustration

18%

9

Knitting, sewing, and crocheting

17%

10

Design Work

15%

Adobe Express have found that the most popular hobby or pastime enjoyed by UK adults in a bid to relax and unwind was found to be reading, with more than a third of respondents stating this was their number one choice (35%). This was closely followed by walking (30%) which is well known for its positive mental health qualities, followed closely by cooking or baking (29%).

According to the study, more than two thirds (67%) of the nation also declared themselves as ‘very creative’. The data also revealed that other particularly creative hobbies Brits turn to in a bid to chill out included journaling (22%), writing (20%), knitting or crocheting (17%), and partaking in pottery or ceramics (9%).

Just six per cent of respondents stated they did not do any hobbies or pastimes as a means of unwinding. One in six (15%) of Brits are planning to take up a hobby as part of their New Year’s resolution in 2024 according to the findings – this equates to nearly eight million UK adults*.

Whilst nearly a quarter (23%) of UK adults said they have previously taken up a hobby as part of their New Year’s resolution, when quizzed on how quickly they had given up on said hobbies after the excitement of the New Year’s resolution was over, the most common answer amongst respondents was within six months (7%). Additionally, when asked how much money they estimated they had wasted due to abandoning the hobby, the most common answer was up to £50 (7%).

This means, if all eight million Brits who plan to take up a new hobby as part of a New Year’s Resolution spent £50 each on doing so, it would total £400 million.