Household Spending on Recreation and Culture – A Comparative Analysis of Selected Age Groups

Introduction. The attractiveness and quality of spending free time are becoming more and more important. Its crucial elements are recreation and culture which contribute to the development of interests and personality, an increase in physical activity, the discharge of nervous tension and the prevention of lifestyle diseases. The use of recreation and culture depends on many factors. For the authors, it is particularly interesting to check the level and structure of spending on recreation and tourism in relation to age. Therefore, the purpose of the article was to compare the spending on recreation and culture in two groups of households. The first concerned households where the head of the household was at most 35 years old, while the other group included households of the elderly. Material and methods. The analysis of household expenditure in 2018 on recreation and culture, including organized tourism, was based on a set of unitary unidentifiable data on household budgets, which were made available by the Central Statistical Office for a fee. The basic descriptive parameters of the structure analysis and a power-exponential econometric model were used in the research. Results. The financial situation of the household has the greatest impact on the formation of expenditure related to free time, regardless of the age of the household head. The number of people in the household is also important, which is particularly evident in the case of young households, but it is also important in 60+ households, as they are more willing to enjoy recreation and culture in the company of other people of the household. The education of the head of the household significantly affects spending on recreation and culture only among 60+ households. Conclusion. The results of the research presented in this article prove that the level of expenditure on recreation and culture depends on socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, income, place of residence, etc.