Consumer spending trends: 15% of monthly budget going on leisure

The online research, conducted by YouGov of 2,061 adults, revealed that Brits with a disposable income (1,733 adults) spend an average £200 each per month on leisure activities, including eating and drinking out and holidays, totalling £8.3bn per month.  ​​

Those consumers with disposable incomes are spending the most on holidays and breaks (£85), eating out (£39) and drinking out and clubbing (£32) each month. 

The VoucherCodes.co.uk research also revealed that there is a large disparity between what men and women spend on leisure. 

Men said they spend £231 a month while women spend just £171.  Men spend almost double (£41) that of women (£23) on drinking out and clubbing, more on holidays (£93 vs. £78) and eating out (£46 vs. £33). 

While the entertainment activities of women, such as going to the cinema (£14) and buying gig and festival tickets (£11) amount to a similar amount spent by men (£15 and £12 respectively). 

All Brits, irrespective of age or gender, prioritised experiences over material goods, the research concluded.  Spend on socialising was estimated to take up almost a quarter (21 per cent) of the average disposable income. 

Claire Davenport, managing director at VoucherCodes.co.uk, said: “​Consumer confidence is booming and it’s great to see this translating into people using their money to enjoy life. This is a fantastic opportunity for the leisure industry, with austerity now seemingly well and truly a thing of the past.

 “The disparity between what men and women are spending on leisure is interesting to note. Specifically for the on-trade, men are spending almost double that of women when drinking out. An opportunity for the industry could be to make leisure experiences more appealing and higher in the ‘order of needs’ for women.”