A survey by China Youth Daily of 1,011 college students found that 87% actively develop hobbies, and 36% are turning hobbies into side hustles.

Top reasons for pursuing hobbies: relieving academic stress (55.4%), enriching campus life (54.8%), and self-improvement (50.0%). The most popular hobbies are arts (57.5%), sports (45.5%), and music (35.5%).

Students report gaining happiness (54.8%), new perspectives (46.3%), and practical skills (41.3%). Major barriers include heavy schoolwork (52.5%) and high costs (49.3%).

While 23.5% are eager to turn hobbies into careers, 55.6% say "maybe, but probably not a priority," and 17.1% prefer keeping hobbies as pure enjoyment.（Photo by AI）