[5] The grave of Princess Catherine Yurievskaya (1878–1959), a daughter of Alexander II of Russia, who lived in North Hayling for many years, is in St Peter's churchyard;[6] and that of George Glas Sandeman, nephew of the founder of Sandeman Port and second head of that company,[7][8] is prominent in the north-east part of St Mary's graveyard.

[10] In 1982, the English Court of Appeal recognised prior art by Peter Chilvers, who in 1958 as a 12-year-old boy on Hayling Island assembled his first board combined with a sail.

[11] This court case set a significant precedent for patent law in the United Kingdom, in terms of Inventive step and non-obviousness.

The coastline in this area has substantially changed since Roman times: it is believed much land has been lost from the coasts of Hayling and Selsey by erosion and subsequent flooding.

As with the rest of the British Isles and Southern England, Hayling Island experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters.

Temperatures have never fallen into double figures below freezing, illustrating the relative warmth of the island – comparable to the far southwest of England and its neighbour, the Isle of Wight.

In summer 2010, the Hayling Island Sailing Club hosted the 2010 World Laser Standard Senior and Junior Championships (27 August – 5 September).

Funland, an amusement park situated at Beachlands, is open year-round, as is the Hayling Seaside Railway which runs from the funfair to Eastoke corner.

The ferry service to and from Portsea Island was subsidised by the local authorities, leaving it under constant threat of closure due to limited resources.

It was reopened in August 2016 by Baker Trayte Marine Ltd.[27][28] During the ferry's closure, the only public connection between Hayling Island and the mainland was the single carriageway road linking Northney to Langstone Havant.

Despite its popularity, the line was marked for closure in the Beeching Report owing to the prohibitive cost of replacing Langstone Bridge, which connected the island to the mainland, estimated at up to £400,000 to repair.

[30] The remaining railway buildings are a goods shed, which has now been converted into a theatre run by HIADS,[32] and a station, opposite the Ship Inn over the bridge.

Oysters have been fished on the Hayling oysterbeds, at the northwest corner of the island, from as long ago as Roman times, documented in town records since 1615.

Large complexes consisting of several pens separated by a series of bund walls and sluice gates were built to contain the oysters at varying stages of growth.

In 1996, the oyster beds on the north west coast of Hayling Island were restored by the Havant Borough Council,[36] creating a wildlife haven which has become an important seabird breeding site.

Hayling Island started twinning with Gorron, France, in 1997, after many years of social exchanges between the two communities rather than the normal council-led route.

[38] In the mid- to late 20th century, Hayling Island's population was known to double during the summer months, due to a large influx of holiday makers and the associated tourism employees to accommodate.