Grandpa beats iPod

Children would rather spend time with their grandparents than listening to an iPod or watching television, a survey has claimed.

Only surfing the internet was a more popular pastime than spending time with gran and granddad. The survey, for the Heritage Lottery Fund, quizzed young people between the ages of 11 and 19.

It also revealed that 65 per cent felt that spending time with family should be the most important part of Christmas, ahead of presents, food and going to parties.

The survey revealed that one of the major benefits of the generations spending time together is that it provides the opportunity to share family stories and helps bring history to life for youngsters.

Heritage Lottery Fund director Carole Souter said: "In this so-called 'Asbo' age, when young people are characterised as being disconnected and hostile, it's a joy to be able to show that's nowhere near the whole story. "We know that heritage can provide opportunities for the generations to mix and learn from one another, giving young people a very real sense of who they are and where they come from. Spending time together and experiencing a sense of shared history definitely help bring the generations closer."

OLR (opinion leader research surveys) quizzed 800 young people online between August and November 2006.