Politics is the least popular free-time activity in the EU, closely followed by religion, according to a new report from the European Commission.
As in most other member states, participation in political parties is falling in Ireland. Only 3 per cent of Irish voters are members of political parties, well below the EU norm of 5.3 per cent.
Just over half of EU citizens are dissatisfied with the way democracy works in their own state, according to The Social Situation in the European Union: 2001.
The report also suggests just 20 per cent of people living in the EU still go to church once a week but the figure reaches 64 per cent in Ireland.
By far the most common use of free time is that spent with the family, at 21 per cent of the total. Seventeen per cent of Europeans would spend more time with their families if they could. This varies from 26 per cent of Danes to 10 per cent of Italians. Finns devote 10 per cent of their free time to the family and 14 per cent to sport.
Overall, some 9 per cent of EU citizens use their free time to participate in or follow sport and the percentage would double if they had more free time.
Eighteen per cent of EU people use free time for other social activities or "relaxing", and 15 per cent use it for housework. Not surprisingly, the number who would opt to spend more time on housework is only 3 per cent, about the same number as would spend extra free time at their job.
The desire for free time seems to fall with age. Older workers in industry tend to work longer hours than younger workers but the trend is reversed in services, where many of the older workers may be late entrants to the work force and employed on a part-time or casual basis.
Fewer than 5 per cent of people use free time for educational purposes, and the report says the level of parents' education and financial resources are key determinants in deciding if people pursue educational objectives.
Voluntary activity remains an important aspect of EU social life, although twice as many people contribute funds as opposed to time. In Ireland 35 per cent of the population give money or goods to help others at least once a month, but only 9 per cent give time.
Some 6.6 per cent of EU employment is in the voluntary and community sector, ranging from less than two 2 per cent in Greece to over more than 12 per cent in Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark. The report says voluntary agencies "are flexible and particularly efficient in adapting to local needs". Close to 30 per cent of EU citizens felt voluntary agencies were doing the most to combat poverty and social exclusion.