Cultural interests
A small proportion may attend arts events once a year or less often, and when they do it is most often for popular or mainstream events. Traditional offerings, like opera, ballet and classical music are less often attended, with this segment being the second least likely to attend such artforms after Facebook Families. It is very seldom that they will be found at contemporary or culturally specific events.
Almost a quarter go to the cinema to watch films, but they do so infrequently, most likely not more than once a year.
Their level of museum and gallery visiting is also very low – at less than half the national average – but is a marginally more common activity than arts attending; up to a quarter may visit museums annually.
For many in this group poor health and accessibility issues contribute particularly to them not visiting heritage sites, and the same reasons prevail for museums and arts. There are also a significant proportion who believe that the arts are simply not for them.
Other leisure interests
Heydays are not very active at all in comparison with people generally. Lifestage and circumstances dictate that most of their interests are centred on activities that can take place in and around the home. Watching television, listening to music, reading, doing crosswords and puzzles. Magazines are widely read especially TV/radio listings, and articles around countryside themes. Whilst they no longer attend the arts as they once may have done, they do enjoy reading arts and cultural magazine publications.
Heydays also enjoy occasional gardening, and some like making trips to restaurants to eat out or going for days out to visit places of interest. But this applies to a relatively small proportion of the group and at much lower levels of activity than are observed amongst many other segments.
Less than a third actively take part in sports and exercise activities, with DIY of relatively little interest. Internet usage also tends to be lower amongst this group in which the majority are not “silver surfers”.