Self-Perception of Young University Students About Their Leisure Time Before, During and After COVID-19. An Approach to the Spanish Context

Abstract

The aim of this research is to explore and analyse the self-perception of a group of young Spanish university students in relation to their leisure activities, in a temporal space defined in three moments: before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the confinement and after the confinement (return to normality). Information was collected with a self-administered questionnaire to 54 young Spaniards. The results show that before the pandemic, leisure was in person with activities shared with friends. During confinement, leisure was non-face-to-face, significantly increasing family and individual activities. After the confinement, the time that young people spent with their family was reduced, and the time with friends in person and outdoors with “post-COVID” concerns increased. It is concluded that young people have changed their guidelines, activities and with whom they spend their leisure time in comparison to their experience before and during confinement. The return to normality has also changed how young people spend their leisure time, and with whom, by adopting preventive behaviors.