How will the leisure of Danes change in the coming years?

Times change all the time and although much seems to repeat itself over the decades and centuries, there are still major changes in the way we spend our free time. We actually have enough free time. Because although we like to complain about the lack of freedom and too much work, we do not have to go far back in time before the work week was well over 37 hours and to a time when even the children had more to do because of an extra school day on Saturdays. The modern Dane has therefore got more free time today compared to 50-60 years ago, but what will it look like in a few years? And what do we spend our time on?

Online games are becoming increasingly popular

We need nothing but just 20-25 years back in time before something as common as online sports betting and online casino was a city in Russia. But with the entry of the internet and the break-up of the Danish gaming monopoly in the 00s, a whole new world of gaming opportunities opened up on the web. Where you previously had to move to a physical casino in the city to experience the atmosphere at the roulette and poker tables, you could now suddenly just turn on the computer and step into the virtual casinos on the web. The development of the online casino world has gone strong since the 00s, and today you can experience an almost authentic atmosphere at the so-called live tables, where real dealers are livestreamed down to the players ‘ own devices. We have hardly seen the last technological move on the online gaming front yet.

More equity investors on a hobby level

The past few years have seen an increase in private investors in shares among ordinary Danes. Whereas in the past it was mostly something that the rich elite were engaged in, it has now become the property of everyone. More and more people are investing in stocks, and there may be a natural reason for that. The interest rate at home has long been la, and is now so low that it no longer pays to have money in the bank. Minus rates prevail, so it now costs money to have money in the bank. This has caused the Danes to look up, and many have therefore instead chosen to focus on the stock market as the object of potential returns to the private economy. There is no indication that interest rates are changing for the time being, so one should expect that the trend with hobby-investing increases.

The cryptocurrency has gained a foothold

No one really thought it could become something big, since Bitcoins were presented as a somewhat diffuse and futuristic project back in 2009. But not only has the world’s first cryptocurrency blown all the curves and made certain people immensely rich, a sea of new cryptocurrencies has emerged in the wake of Bitcoin. Dogecoin, Litecoin, Ripple and Ethereum are just a few of the many new cryptocurrencies that the world can now invest in. 2021 has seen a preliminary boom of cryptocurrency-interested Danes, and nothing indicates that it will change for the time being.

Greater priority for the local and national

Just 10-15 years ago Danish holiday homes were something that many people associated with older people, grandparents or German tourists, but today that perception is quite different. Brand new and younger segments of the Danish population have thrown their love on the Danish summer cottages, and it has never been more popular to choose summer cottage, tether and new potatoes instead of long flights and city holidays. The financially strong 30-40-year-old Danes and the Danish families with children have rediscovered and revived the entire summer cottage culture on their own terms. The same can be seen with the various garden associations and allotment associations around Denmark. Here, too, younger generations are moving in, while more older ones are moving out.

Offline outdoor life

Although it may be assumed that much life will continue to be lived online in the coming years, it still seems that a trend has emerged towards less time on the web and more life in the open air. There have been clearly more outdoor activities growing up lately, which we have never seen before, and which should be a sign that the Danes would like to drop the mobile to get out to move in the open. Activities like paddle tennis, paddle boards and yoga have exploded in recent times. It can give rise to even more new leisure pursuits, where the requirement is that you either move or have fun with others.