South Africa's favourite hobby revealed — and it's not sport
South Africa's favourite hobby is music. That's according to a new survey, which shows that 58% of people in households earning over R10 000 love their beats more than any other pastime.
The BrandMapp survey is the largest survey of the country's tax-paying base, run by consumer insights consultancy WhyFive. The study, released earlier this month, shows that music is more popular than even travel and sport.
The survey also reveals that music is a beloved hobby across generations. In fact, all demographics are crazy for their favourite tunes.
Music narrowly beat travel to become South Africa's favourite hobby. The other most popular pastimes include watching movies, cooking, reading and dining out.
South Africans are famously sports-mad. But it turns out that music comes ahead of the country's sports teams, with award-winning artists regularly filling stadiums.
62% of adults intend to go to a large-scale live music event in 2025. That's compared to just 41% who plan on going to a live sports event.
R&B, gospel and soul are the most popular music genres.
The BrandMapp survey shows that, after the weather and the news, South Africans are most likely to search for music online. Furthermore, Gen Z and Millennials search for music online more than anything else.
But South Africa's favourite hobby isn't only popular with young people. It seems that this pastime strikes a chord with older South Africans, too.
'Even when we apply filters like generation, ethnicity, or gender, music consistently tops the charts,' said Brandon de Kock, Director of Storytelling at BrandMapp, in a statement. He added:
'Like cooking on fire, music is one of our unifying forces – even if our musical tastes vary. It's part of our DNA. No matter what else is happening, South Africa's consumer class needs to feed the soul – and music remains the favourite way to do that.'
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