Abstract
Modern understandings of leisure have formed in terms of its relationship to work. The effects of industrialization in the western world are well known, regulating time for leisure and, through urbanization, producing social scientific definitions of leisure as either a civic good or a social problem requiring surveillance and regulation. Current predictions of a rapid quantitative decline in work are therefore of serious social, economic and psychological concern, raising questions about the meanings of leisure without work. This paper reviews the historical formation of work–leisure relationships. It then considers predictions of the impact of further technological change on the future of work and proposals for a universal basic income, and the implications of these for free time and leisure. Finally, it reviews the new focus on well-being in academic research and in government policy in the UK, and discusses the importance of leisure in terms of enjoyment of life, meaningful activity and social participation.