Temporal and Spatial Constraints to Daily out-of-Home Leisure in Urban China: a GPS-Based Time Diary Survey

Temporal and spatial constraints are prevalent, structural barriers to daily leisure participation. This study explored different forms of temporal and spatial constraints that urban residents experience in China when they participate in daily leisure activities. A one-week time diary survey was conducted, coupled with GPS tracking. Data consisted of 3297 leisure activities nested within 333 residents in a suburban area of Beijing (i.e., Shangdi-Qinghe), China. Two-level (i.e., individual- and activity-level) logistic regression analyses were performed for weekdays and weekends separately. Our results demonstrate that the distribution, rather than an absolute amount, of free time influenced out-of-home leisure participation. Respondents’ weekend time was fragmented by spatiotemporal inflexible maintenance activities, thus lowering the possibility of out-of-home leisure engagement. Having previously participated in activity outside of the home increased the likelihood of out-of-home leisure involvement.