27/08/2007
Staying in really is the new going out: socialising at home
Brits now prefer to entertain family and friends in the comfort of their own homes.
Entertaining at home is more popular than ever according to research by leading wine brand, Gallo Family Vineyards. The research, conducted for Gallo by the Future Foundation, shows that we now spend 5½ hours every week entertaining at home, hosting social occasions with family and friends. This is a rise of more than 57% since 1961.
Almost two of the total five hours (38%) spent with friends and extended family each week is now spent in our own homes, according to the research. Gallo Family Vineyards, who commissioned the research in order to understand the changing patterns of wine consumption, found that more than half (51%) of Brits entertain at least once a week. They also found that a hyper-sociable one-in-twenty entertains every day.
The new research highlights some of the key drivers for this change in behaviour. Specifically, rising affluence has fuelled greater spending on our homes which consequently makes the home a more comfortable place to be. The rising popularity of DIY home improvement has driven up spending by 76% over the last decade¹ while the value of home possessions has risen by 50% in the same time period².
Our homes have also been opened up to the outside world through a succession of technologies - most recently with the internet bringing a range of entertainment into our living rooms. Today more than 7 million homes have Sky channels and 3.3 million have cable channels³.
Nicola Austin, Director of Consultancy at Future Foundation comments: “The 21st century home is no longer just a box to protect us from the elements; it is a sanctuary from the stresses of modern living which we use for relaxation and entertainment. It is also increasingly being enjoyed together with family and friends.”
The forecast is set to continue according to Gallo’s research:
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The 160% increase in spending on household goods (appliances, furniture, textiles and household services) from 1980 to 2007 will be followed by a 49% rise between 2007 and 2020
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Spending on home leisure (home entertainment and recreational goods) is predicted to rise 75% between the same time period, reaching £100 billion by 2020
Austin adds: “Far from being a generation that spends all its time out on the town, we now spend more time than ever getting together at home. Entertaining friends has become a huge feature of our leisure time – particularly in the past ten years.”
Jane Hunter, Marketing Director for Western Europe at Gallo Family Vineyards comments: “People are now happier than ever to show off their homes, their culinary skills and have friends over to share a bottle of wine. A ‘big night in’, be it a dinner party, a night in with a DVD or an impromptu barbecue has become the way to share time with friends in the noughties and is set to eclipse the big night out as the social event of choice.”
South West is the UK’s at-home entertainment hub
Residents of the South West are the biggest home birds, spending 43% of their social time at home, according to the research, with those in the West Midlands and the North East coming in a close second in the league at 41.5%. London and Northern Ireland sit at the bottom of the table, spending 31% and 28% of their time respectively, socialising at home.
The research also highlighted that:
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The North East actually spends the most time socialising at home, more than the South West and West Midlands, at 6 hours 25 minutes per week
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Yorkshire & Humberside is the nation’s most sociable region overall spending 15 hrs 38 mins a week socialising
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East Anglia is the least sociable region in the country with just 13 hrs 11 minutes spent in the company of friends and family
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Those in the North East spend an average of 6 hours and 25 minues per week socialising at home.
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Those in the West Midlands spend 5 hours 50.
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People in the South West spend 5 hours 43.
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Those in the South East 5 hours and 36 minutes.
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Those in the North West, East Midlands and in Scotland spend 5 hours 29 minutes.
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In East Anglia they spend 5 hours and 22 minutes.
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In Yorks and Humberside they spend 5 hours and 15 minutes.
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In Wales they spend 5 hours and 1 minute.
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In Northern Ireland they spend 4 hours and 12 minutes.
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In London people spend 4 hours and 40 minutes.
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And the average time spent socialising in the home across the UK is 5 hours and 29 minutes.
Austin concludes: “Across the country people in the South West are the most likely to socialise at home across the country. This may reflect the climate and geography of the South West, but it’s also about the people. Higher levels of socialising in the home could be down to high levels of employment and affluence - the working population in the area is growing at double the national average - or it might just be that people in the South West are the ‘hosts with the most’!”