Model railroaders have often espoused the health benefits of the hobby. Now, they have numbers to back up their claims thanks to a new study by Hornby.
The U.K.-based model manufacturer and retailer announced the results of a study it commissioned through London-based marketing company Disrupt Insight. The study, which surveyed 2,000 adults in the United Kingdom, sought to better understand the profile of the contemporary scale model enthusiast. More than 60% of those who responded to the survey stated that they experienced mental health benefits from their hobby.
48% of survey respondents attributed stress relief and improved mental activity to their hobby. 21% stated that they used the hobby to reduce their screen time.
Another interesting detail which emerged from the study: “Almost half of enthusiasts are now under 35 years old and 28% are female, proving that scale modelling really is for everyone.”
Per Hornby CEO Olly Raeburn: “The benefits of having a hobby cannot be overstated. Our research underscores how hobbies contribute to mental wellbeing, happiness, and social connectivity.”
According to Hornby, the hobby industry in the U.K. has grown by 2% since 2020. The company attributes this growth in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many people to pursue new hobbies in their isolation.
To read more about the study, click here to read the full white paper report from Hornby.
Thanks Hornby and that study is spot on have had a serious leg fracture and a MAJOR heart attack in the last four years I can attest to the health benefit of working on model trains.