Exploring the Correlation Between Emotional Competence and the Leisure Time of Young People

Leisure time plays an essential role in shaping the lifestyle of young people and is closely linked to their emotional well-being and overall happiness. This paper investigates the leisure time patterns of young people and explores the correlation between these patterns and their level of emotional competence. The research involved 150 young people from South and Eastern Serbia, aged 18 to 30. Participants’ emotional competence was measured using a short version of the Emotional Skills and Competence Questionnaire (ESCQ). The key determinants of emotional competence include the ability to perceive and understand emotions, express and label emotions, and manage and regulate emotions. To measure dominant leisure time patterns, we employed a specially constructed Likert-type scale, focusing on elite, hedonistic, sports–recreational patterns, and a traditional-unconventional pattern divided into passive and family categories. The results indicated that young people exhibited partial emotional competence, with the ability to perceive and understand emotions as the most developed aspect. The most frequently reported leisure activities fell under the hedonistic and passive patterns. The data revealed significant correlations between all aspects of emotional competence and the elite, hedonistic, and sports–recreational patterns, with the strongest correlation observed between emotional competence and the elite pattern, which includes cultural activities, reading, and volunteer work. The results indicate that a higher level of emotional competence development is associated with the selection of quality leisure activities. Therefore, we could rely on the educational potential of leisure time to promote the development of emotional competence and vice versa.