Britain: An official handbook > 1993

BRITAIN 1993: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
Purchases of compact discs have risen very
rapidly, and the proportion of households
with a compact disc player has grown
considerably, from 15 per cent in 1989 to 27
per cent in 1991. In 1990 people made on
average 15 visits to the cinema (compared
with 23 in 1959).
Other popular pursuits include: listening to
radio, reading, do-it-yourself home
improvements, gardening and going out for a
meal or for a drink. About half of households
have a pet, the most common being dogs and
cats, of which there are thought to be roughly
7 million of each in Britain.
Many people give up free time to work for
voluntary organisations, of which there are
over 250,000 in England and Wales. It is
estimated that about one-quarter of the
population is involved in some way in
voluntary work in Britain. Fund-raising is the
most frequently mentioned activity. Voluntary
environmental organisations, for example,
have experienced consistent growth since
1971. The largest of these is the National
Trust, with over 2 million members.
Holidays
In 1990, about 90 per cent of full-time
manual employees were entitled to more than
four weeks paid holiday and 30 per cent to
five weeks; in 1961, 97 per cent were entitled
to only two weeks. In 1991, 60 per cent of
the adult population took at least one long
holiday of four or more nights away from
home. The number of long holidays taken by
British residents was 54 million in 1991
(compared with 48 million in 1978), of which
34 million were taken in Britain. The most
frequented free attraction in 1991 was
Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Lancashire). The
most popular destinations for summer
holidays are the West Country, Scotland,
and Wales.
In 1991 the most popular destinations
for overseas holidays by British
residents were:
• Spain (23 per cent);
• France (15 per cent);
• the United States (9 per cent); and
• Greece (7 per cent).
In all, British residents took 20 million
holidays overseas in 1991, of which 54 per
cent involved ‘package’ arrangements. About
74 per cent of all holidays abroad are taken in
Europe. The proportion of adults taking two
or more holidays a year was 24 per cent in
1991.
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