What most seniors like to do in their spare time.

Based on the number of seniors that travel or exercise today versus those that traveled and/or exercised twenty years ago, today's seniors tend to be significantly more active than seniors of the past. A recent study by AARP revealed the following "favorite hobbies" and "spare time activities" of seniors. According to a consensus of more than 3400 AARP members surveyed, here's seniors' top ten things to do:

1. Travel

2. Walking and other light exercise

3. Reading

4. Theatre (cinema and live)

5. Volunteer Work

6. Music (includes, listening to it, going to concerts, or performing it)

7. Needlework

8. Quilting

9. Writing (includes poetry, memoirs, short stories, etc.)

10. Art (includes painting, pottery, photography, and visits to museums)

Travel was the favorite hobby by a long shot among the seniors of 2002. For those who are able to do so, getting out and seeing as much of the world as possible has become the pastime of choice. Favorite vacations include cruises, train trips, bus tours specially geared for seniors and holidays to warm climates, according to the American Travel Association.

When not on the road or spending time with family, most seniors read the newspaper (according to Associated Press, the average person over 65 reads twice as much of a daily newspaper than other adults) and watching television. There is often a stereotype that seniors watch television more than everyone else, but AC Nielson Media Research (which tracks national television viewership), reports that seniors, while watching more television than most adults, actually watch less TV than the average teenager or young child in America today.

Nielson reports that the favorite TV shows among seniors are similar to those of the nation at large, with a few meaningful differences. While "Friends" remains the most popular overall program on television today among all Americans, it's younger characters and topics tend to fare not as well among the senior audience, who place it as their 11th favorite program, not quite making the top ten. The top ten shows among seniors so far this year are:

1. Everybody Loves Raymond

2. CSI

3. The West Wing

4. Frasier

5. Monday Night Football

6. 60 Minutes

7. CSI: Miami

8. CBS Evening News w/ Dan Rather

9. Who Wants to be a Millionaire

10. Survivor

The Primelife Advisory Network (PLAN) conducted a survey recently to determine television programming preferences of older adults. For the survey, 29 proposed program topics were listed and briefly described and the participants were asked to rate their interest in each topic. The top five program topics selected were, in order of most preferred, those focusing on medical updates, hosted by a physician specializing in gerontology; the latest up-to-date news regarding health and physical fitness; everyday activities to increase overall well-being; legal problems common with people over 50; and living history as told through the eyes of those who experienced the drama, tensions, and triumphs.

As for who seniors' favorite celebrities are, according to PLAN, the "most trusted, and beloved entertainers or spokespeople" include: Walter Cronkite, Hugh Downs, Julia Roberts, Clint Eastwood and Dan Rather.

The bottom line to all of this is that seniors tastes tend to skew somewhat more in the direction of news-oriented fare, with certain exceptions. Of course every person has his or her own taste--whether it's regarding hobbies, favorite television programs, or what section of the newspaper they turn to first. But based on the results of the above surveys and studies, we get an idea what matters to many of our senior neighbors.

Gina field is a freelance writer.