Spare time use and perceived well-being among black South African youth

Abstract

Leisure opportunities for urban black South Africans are limited but there is little evidence which documents the experience of disadvantage or its significance for retarded advancement and depressed quality of life. An exploratory questionnaire study, conducted in 1989 in three metropolitan areas among black township youth (age 15–25 years, predominantly Zulu-and Xhosa-speakers) of both sexes, inquired into spare time habits and activities, participation rates, leisure aspirations, satisfactions, preferences, and barriers. Each subject also kept activity diaries for a specific weekday and a weekend day. Preliminary results from the time budget data are discussed with reference to subjects' overall life satisfaction and outlook on the future. Findings have policy implications for reducing inequalities in a socially divided society.