Please note that not all questions presented here were asked in the lifestyle section directly, some of them were placed in randomly shown sections, so samples may differ across all the questions presented here.

Lifestyle and Fun

This year, we again asked developers about their lifestyle. Developers were asked questions regarding their habits, patterns of behavior, and charitable practices.

Respondents were given the choice of whether or not to complete this section, and about a half of them did.

Digital life

How do you pay most often?

Please choose up to 3 options.

While using cards is the most popular way to pay, more than a half of the respondents prefer to use their mobile phone.

Among developers, the most popular sources of entertaining content are YouTube, social media, and TV, while news is mostly found on news websites, TV, and radio. For reading professional materials, the top-3 sources are community forums, books, and wikis. When searching for job-related content, about a half of the developers go directly to particular websites, while mostly all respondents also google first.

What sources of information do you use in general?

What do you use each type of information source for?

Entertainment content

Life news, world news, etc.

Professional materials

74% of the respondents use online ad-blocking tools.

Do you use your smartphone to read professional materials?

Do you have and actively use accounts on the following websites?

Please check all that apply. (Optional)

While the absolute majority of developers have a GitHub account, slightly less than half have a profile on Stack Overflow. The 3 most-used social networks are Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Which sort of headphones do you mainly use?

Privacy

How do you feel about personal data collection?

91% of developers are concerned about how their personal data is collected and used, and about a half of them take steps to make sure it stays private. We also asked developers how they feel about government surveillance. It’s quite interesting that 58% of the respondents don’t mind the government keeping people under video surveillance in public areas, while a much lower share of them approve of email monitoring and collecting information about people.

Government

Job and events

How satisfied are you in your (main) job?

70% of developers are satisfied with their job. The most important aspects of the job are feeling you can achieve something, good pay, and good hours.

Here are some aspects of jobs that people say are important. Please look at them and select the ones you personally think are important in a job.

Where do you usually take lunch during your working days?

What time do you usually start your working day?

The time developers typically begin their work day hasn't changed since last year, and developers kept to their work schedule even during the pandemic. 83% of developers start their working day before 10 am.

Workplace

While before the pandemic about 70% of developers worked from the office, 80% now work from home. While the share of developers working from cafes has halved during the pandemic, the number of people working from coworking spaces has not changed much.

Events

This year a variety of events became much more accessible due to the widespread adoption of online formats. In the last year, about 75% of developers have attended online conferences, and more than 40% of the respondents have attended online workshops and meetups.

Charitable giving

Do you contribute to charity in any way?

More than a half of the respondents contribute to charity. The most popular reason for charitable giving is the desire to make the world and the community better places to live in. Among those who practice any type of charity, most donate from time to time and volunteer (including professional help). Most developers are motivated by a desire to help children, care for the environment, fight social inequality, or help the disadvantaged.

People volunteer, donate their time and money, and participate in charitable causes for a variety of reasons. What are some of your reasons or motivations for doing so?

4% of developers work for a charity organization.

What charitable practices do you participate in?

What areas are of most importance for you in your charitable practices?

Please select up to 3.

Coding

43%

of developers dreamed of becoming software engineers when they were kids.

Do you prefer a dark or light theme for your Editor / IDE?

Using the dark theme in an Editor/IDE is much more popular than using the light theme, and the number of users who prefer it has been quite stable over the years.

Do you like to snack while coding?

84% of developers snack while coding. The most preferred drinks are water and coffee. Younger developers tend to choose water more, while those who are 40 years old and up choose coffee more.

What do you prefer to drink while coding?

Preferred drinks by different ages

Hobbies and video games

What hobbies do you pursue in your free time?

Please choose up to 3.

In 2020, the most widespread hobby for developers was programming. This year video games top the list, up to 59% from 49%.

What platforms do you play games on?

76% of developers play video games, despite not all of them considering gaming as a hobby. PC is the most popular platform for gaming, and consoles took second place. With PlayStation and Nintendo Switch being the most widely used among them.

What console do you use?

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