Londoners more likely than anyone else in the UK to give up a childhood hobby

Londoners are more likely than people anywhere else in the UK to have given up a hobby they loved as a teenager, according to new research from the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA).

The study of 2,001 UK adults found that 41% of Londoners had a hobby or creative activity they loved, such as dance, drama, music or art, and gave it up during their teenage years - the highest figure of anywhere in the UK, and well above the national average of a third (34%).

Of those Londoners who walked away, 83% now regret the decision.

This comes as the government prepares to withdraw teaching grant funding for creative and performing arts subjects in higher education this month. In secondary schools, the Campaign for the Arts’ analysis of GCSE results over the past 16 years has found that the proportion of entries in arts subjects, including drama, has fallen by 47% since 2010.

What Londoners have lost by dropping a hobby

When asked what they felt they had lost by stopping a hobby they loved, respondents in London said:

• 45% lost a skill or talent

• 37% lost confidence

• 34% lost a creative outlet

• 30% lost a sense of identity

• 23% lost friendships

Why do people give up hobbies?

The reasons for giving up were rarely a loss of interest. In London, almost two in five (39%) pointed to other priorities taking over and a similar proportion (38%) to a lack of time, while three in ten (30%) said money was the barrier. Almost a quarter (24%) said they gave up because they lacked encouragement from parents or teachers, notably higher than the national figure of 16%.

Social pressure also played a part, with 15% saying they stopped because they feared being judged or seen as "uncool", while more than one in ten (11%) cited peer pressure.

Yet adults are clear about what they would tell the next generation, as three quarters (74%) would encourage a child to stick with a hobby, even if they worried it was uncool.

For 18-year-old Adrian St Hill, giving up his performing arts hobby looked like the sensible choice. He joined PQA in Upminister at 16 with a love of acting, dancing and singing, and an equally strong passion for STEM. He assumed that building a career in one meant letting go of the other. At the start of his second year at Sixth Form he decided to focus on STEM alone, but by the end of Sixth Form, he had changed his mind.

Adrian took a gap year to pursue acting, supporting local schools with their productions while continuing at PQA. This September he starts a degree in chemical engineering and plans to travel back at weekends to stay involved with PQA, having found that the two can run alongside each other rather than in competition.

Adrian said: “When I joined PQA, I already loved acting, dancing and singing, but I had a passion for STEM too, and I didn't feel like it was the social norm to have a passion for both. I felt like I had to choose between the two, but over time I realised that wasn't necessarily true.

“I couldn't think of a time at PQA when I felt like I didn't want to be there. People noticed a major change in my mood and could see that I was in my element. I'm still going to university to study chemical engineering, but now I can see a future where STEM and acting can coexist. I'm really glad I didn't have to give one up for the other.

“I think PQA has also given me a lot of confidence that I’ll take with me to university. I’m going to be meeting lots of new people and living away from my family for the first time, and I feel much more comfortable putting myself out there and adapting to new situations because of performing arts. Those are skills I’ll carry with me well beyond acting.”

Adrian's story and many others is at the heart of PQA's new ‘Stick With It’ campaign, which encourages children and teenagers to stick with their hobbies, and calls on the government to provide educational facilities and funding needed to support this.

The value of creative pursuits also extends beyond the hobby itself. Research commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 2025 found that almost a third (31%) of young people aged 11-18 are interested in working in the creative industries, while parents see creative careers as an opportunity for their children to develop confidence and pursue their passions.

For young people, this underlines the value of having opportunities to develop their creativity from an early age, not simply as a route into a creative career, but as a way to build skills they can carry into adult life.

This sentiment is echoed by Nick Pilton, Head of Film & TV at the Pauline Quirke Academy, said: “It is no surprise that younger generations are more likely to have given up a hobby, given the world they are growing up in and the increasing pressure on creative opportunities. But hobbies are about so much more than becoming a performer or wanting fame. They build confidence, creativity, communication and resilience, skills that young people can carry with them throughout their lives. That is why we want to encourage them to stick with a hobby they love.”

PQA welcomes children aged 4 to 18, offering high quality performing arts training combined with essential life and social skills. Performing arts at the Pauline Quirke Academy is not just about singing and dancing, students also have the opportunity to explore comedy, story writing, TV and filmmaking.

More information is available at www.pqacademy.com.