Journal of Iranian Social Studies

Adolescent Leisure Styles in the Digital Age: A Sociological Explanation of the Role of Family Cultural and Economic Capital

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mohammad Ghadimparast Biria Abateri 1
Mohammad Reza Eghdami 2
Ali Yaghoubi Choobari 3

1 M.A. Graduate in Sociology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Guilan, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan. Guilan, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Guilan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/jss.2026.2097098.1991
Abstract
ackground and aim: This study examined adolescents’ leisure styles in the digital age, focusing on their associations with family cultural and economic capital and with academic achievement. The framework drew on Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital, DiMaggio’s account of cultural participation and educational advantage, and Castells’ network society perspective.
Data and method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 321 secondary-school students in Khomam County, northern Iran, selected through multistage sampling. Data from a researcher-developed questionnaire were analyzed in SPSS 26 using principal component analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression.
Findings: PCA supported five leisure styles—cultural-learning, digital-communicative, physical-sportive, passive-media, and high-risk/excitement-seeking—explaining 63.7% of total variance (KMO = 0.721; Bartlett’s χ²(120) = 1462.09, p < .001). Cultural capital showed broader and more consistent associations with leisure styles than economic capital, significantly predicting cultural-learning, passive-media, and physical-sportive leisure. Digital-communicative leisure was unrelated to family capital and was more strongly associated with age and residence. In the multivariable academic-performance model, cultural-learning leisure was positively associated with GPA, whereas high-risk/excitement-seeking leisure was negatively associated; other styles had no independent effects.
Conclusion: Adolescent leisure is socially patterned and educationally consequential. Its quality and orientation appear more important than access to time or material resources alone, supporting complementary use of cultural capital and network society perspectives. The findings also underscore the value of family, school, and digital-literacy initiatives that expand constructive leisure opportunities.

Keywords

Adolescent leisure styles
Cultural capital
Economic capital
Academic performance
Digital leisure
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Journal of Iranian Social Studies
Volume 20, Issue 1
Summer 2026
Pages 82-111

  • Receive Date 09 August 2026
  • Accept Date 24 September 2026
  • First Publish Date 24 September 2026
  • Publish Date 22 May 2026

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