What do young people like to do in their spare time?
In 2020, the most popular leisure activity among young people on Bonaire was gaming. Gaming was also popular on Saba, as was spending time outdoors with friends. On both islands, boys were significantly more likely to play video games and sports than girls. They also met up with friends outside more often. On Bonaire, girls were more likely than boys to be engaged in creative activities. No figures are available for St Eustatius on this subject.
On Bonaire, 43 percent of 11 to 17‑year-old pupils in secondary education (VO) or secondary vocational education (MBO) reported that they often spend their spare time gaming. They were also relatively likely to do sports (37 percent), be engaged in creative activities such as playing music, drawing or doing crafts (35 percent) and meet up with friends outside (30 percent). 16 percent of the young people indicated they often do volunteer work in their spare time, there was hardly any difference between boys and girls in this regard. Boys (61 percent) were more likely to play video games than girls (26 percent). They also played sports and met up with friends outside relatively more often. Girls, on the other hand, were more likely to be engaged in creative activities: 39 percent, versus 31 percent of boys.
| Activity | Total | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming | 43.2 | 60.6 | 25.5 |
| Play sports | 37.0 | 48.5 | 25.5 |
| Engage in creative activities | 34.8 | 30.6 | 39.1 |
| Meet up with friends outside | 30.5 | 36.7 | 24.2 |
| Meet up with friends at home | 24.5 | 26.2 | 22.7 |
| Do volunteer work | 16.0 | 16.8 | 15.1 |
On Saba, 54 percent of young people between the ages of 11 and 18 reported that they often meet up with friends outside. This makes it a popular leisure activity on the island, just like gaming (53 percent), playing sports (52 percent) and being engaged in creative activities (48 percent). Similar to Bonaire, boys were significantly more likely to play video games and sports than girls were. They also met up with friends outside or at home more often. As for creative activities, there was hardly any difference between boys and girls on Saba.
| Activity | Total | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meet up with friends outside | 53.8 | 59.6 | 46.3 |
| Gaming | 52.7 | 71.2 | 29.3 |
| Play sports | 51.6 | 63.5 | 36.6 |
| Engage in creative activities | 48.4 | 48.1 | 48.8 |
| Meet up with friends at home | 23.7 | 26.9 | 19.5 |
| Do volunteer work | 15.1 | 17.3 | 12.2 |
Spare time
For a number of activities, including meeting up with friends, playing sports, being engaged in creative activities, gaming and doing volunteer work, the students were asked how often they do this in their spare time. The response categories were: often, sometimes, never.