Record one million more people active in England
Sport England has today published the latest official statistics from the Active Lives Survey, the most comprehensive snapshot of the nation’s sport and physical activity habits, based on a sample of almost 180,000 respondents. Activity Alliance responds to the positive increase for disabled people.
- Survey shows highest number of active people ever recorded and lowest ever level of people doing less than 30 minutes of activity a week.
- Improvements driven by women and older adults.
- Active people report higher levels of mental wellbeing and are more likely to be satisfied with their life, feel happier and less anxious.
- Those benefits are still less likely to be accessed by less affluent people, where lower activity and higher inactivity rates remain.
The results show the highest level of activity ever recorded – 1,015,700 million more people are active now, compared to when the survey started in 2015. Active means meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended amount of 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week.
The report also makes clear the mental health benefits of being active. When asked to rate their mental health on a scale of 0-10, active people reported feeling:
- More satisfied with their lives.
- Happier.
- More likely to feel the things they do in life are worthwhile.
- Less anxious.
Spanning the period May 2018 – May 2019, today’s survey also shows that the number of adults doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week has decreased by 131,700 since 2015.
The decreasing inactivity levels are driven by women and adults aged 55 and over, groups Sport England has focussed on in its strategy Towards an Active Nation with campaigns such as This Girl Can, a £10 million fund for projects that support people 55 and over to get active and by supporting opportunities for running such as its £3 million investment into parkrun.
Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive at Sport England said:
“It’s really excellent news that a record number of people are now active every week and that we’re also seeing a significant decrease in the amount of inactive people.
“It shows us that efforts to help more people get active are starting to make a real difference, particularly for older adults, women and those with a disability or long-term health condition.
“But we can’t be complacent. Within the overall positive picture of these figures is a sobering reality – if you are well-off you are far more likely to be active than if you’re on a low income or less affluent.
“While there are complex barriers that stop less well-off people from getting active, this is an unacceptable inequality and one we’re starting to address in the work we are doing across the country – including piloting programmes in 12 local areas to tackle inequality.
“Being active has positive benefits for mental and physical wellbeing, strengthens communities and helps build confidence and resilience. We urge anyone working towards helping people live healthier lives – whether that’s government policy makers or health professionals – to consider physical activity as a vehicle to help drive positive outcomes, so that everyone can benefit.”
The Active Lives Survey showed for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions:
An increase in activity levels (216,300 more) and a decrease in inactivity levels (107,800 fewer) amongst disabled people or people with long-term health conditions, showing efforts to support these groups are working. However, they are still twice as likely to be inactive than non-disabled people, so work continues to support and inspire people into physical activity. This includes the new campaign We Are Undefeatable, led by 15 of the leading health and social care charities and backed with National Lottery funding and expertise by Sport England.
Barry Horne, Chief Executive at Activity Alliance, responded to today's release:
“The tremendous benefits of getting active cannot be disputed so we’re delighted to see the continued increase in disabled people’s activity. We believe that providers are increasingly embracing the insight and expertise available. Activity Alliance is determined to contribute to making this upturn genuinely sustainable. Working with a broader mix of partners is key to reaching more disabled people.
“However, disabled people remain twice as likely as non-disabled people to be inactive. Activity Alliance will not rest until there is parity in sport and activity for disabled people.”
Other statistics:
Women:
- Weights, interval and gym sessions have seen significant increases in popularity for women.
- There are 142,000 fewer inactive women over the last twelve months (5,948,100 women are currently inactive), and an additional 254,200 more active women in the last twelve months (14,103,900 women are currently active).
- The gender gap remains, with men more active then women, however the gap is narrowing.
Older adults:
- Running, weight sessions and gym sessions have grown in popularity for this age group.
- There are 100,700 fewer inactive adults aged 55+ (5,592,400 older people are currently inactive), and an additional 506,700 more active over 55s in the last twelve months (9,137,800 currently active).
People in lower socio-economic groups are still less likely to be active.
- People who are less affluent are the most likely to be inactive (33%) and the least likely to be active (54%) compared to those who are the most well-off (who are 16% inactive and 72% active).
- A complex backdrop of economic and health inequalities magnifies the impact of barriers to getting active felt by all, such as confidence or knowing where to go, through to cost, lack of time and appropriate opportunity.
Fitness and activity trends were also revealed in the survey:
- Walking for leisure or travel remains the most popular activity, with 477,800 more people walking for travel (15,247,600 people walk for travel) and 514,000 more walking for leisure (19,162,200 people walk for leisure).
- Fitness activities are becoming even more popular, especially for women and those in older groups, with 398,000 more people taking part (13,766,300 people do fitness activities). Weight sessions are increasingly popular, with this type of fitness being easily adapted for different groups, e.g. strength and balance for older people.
- Yoga and Pilates continue to grow in popularity.
- Racket sports continues to decrease in popularity (111,400 fewer people taking part).
- Netball enjoyed a growth in popularity with 50,200 more people taking part (319,400 people play netball), with a diverse audience of younger and older women attracted through grassroots programmes like Back to Netball.
Nigel Adams, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said:
"Every single person in this country should have the opportunity to take part in sport and activity. It is not only good for our physical health but it also boosts our mental wellbeing and makes people happier.
"Sport England is rightly focusing on further increasing participation so that people from all backgrounds can get, and enjoy being active."
