Germans are watching more TV and having less sex

Nearly all Germans - 97 percent - like to chill after work or school in front of the television. According to a survey released Thursday by the Hamburg-based "Stiftung für Zukunftsfragen" (Foundation for Future Studies), TV is Germany's most beloved pastime. However, group watching with family and friends is on the decline.

The foundation carries out an annual study to find out more about Germans and their leisure activities. For this year's survey, they asked 3,000 people aged 14 and above in personal interviews how they like to spend their free time.

True to its reputation as the land of thinkers and philosophers, three out of four surveyed said they just like to sit and think or read the newspaper.

The internet has seen a huge increase in users (75.5 percent), but not only among the young Germans. One third of the generation aged 65 and older regularly goes online in their free time.

A difference could be noted between households with lower incomes (up to 1,500 euros or $1,700 monthly), which tend to be more spontaneous when it comes to spending their free time.

Households with a higher income (more then 3,500 euros monthly) preferred to spend their free time with their family.

According to the survey, a number of classic pastimes are dying out. More than half of those surveyed said they wouldn't bother going to the theater or opera, volunteering or joining a club.

Socializing has also decreased, with only 17.3 percent saying they like to meet friends in their free time - down 8.7 percent from last year. Having sex is also less popular with less than one third calling it a favorite pastime.

Many said they don't always end up doing what they would like to do in their spare time and would like to change that in the coming years.