Time and media-use of Italian Generation Y: dimensions of leisure preferences

Time spent in leisure is not a minor research question as it is acknowledged as a key aspect of one's quality of life. The primary aim of this article is to qualify time and Internet use of Italian Generation Y beyond media hype and assumptions. To this aim, we apply a multidimensional extension of Item Response Theory models to the Italian "Multipurpose survey on households: aspects of daily life" to ascertain the relevant dimensions of Generation Y time-use. We show that the use of technology is neither the first nor the foremost time-use activity of Italian Generation Y, who still prefers to use its time to socialise and have fun with friends in a non media-medalled manner.