Two thirds of people listen to music to relax in the garden, study finds

24 May 2024, 17:30 | Updated: 5 June 2024, 16:26

Summer is here and people are flocking to their gardens – accompanied by classical music.

Two thirds of people like to listen to music when they are relaxing in the garden, research by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) shows.

In a nationwide poll that asked a representative sample of 2,178 adults which genre of music they liked listening to in the garden, orchestral music came up trumps as the choice genre for music fans kicking back and relaxing outdoors.

Whilst 45% and 36% of people respectively listen to pop and rock every day, orchestral music (22%) came out on top when it came to specialised genres switched on in the garden.

Country music (17%), reggae (15%), R&B/rap (15%), jazz (11%) and musical theatre (11%) were other genres highlighted by the poll.

The Glorious Garden: Water Lily

The RPO suggests that choosing orchestral music for summer evenings in the garden could lead to a “creative, restful experience after a stressful day”.

Digging down into the numbers (pardon the pun), orchestral music was significantly more popular among people with busy, full-time jobs. 74% of those who said they preferred relaxing to orchestral music were either in full-time education or employment.

The figures come as little surprise, as other studies have also proven the mood-boosting effects of listening to classical music, particularly during busy times such as the morning commute.

So next time you’re looking for a musical escape from a busy day, or simply want the perfect relaxing soundtrack, pop some classical music on, find your favourite seat in the sun, and enjoy...

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Join Alan Titchmarsh this Bank Holiday Monday for his Top 20 Gardening Classics, and every Saturday afternoon at 4pm for the perfect relaxation playlist, on Classic FM.