Sport England releases new Active Lives figures

Active Lives, a new comprehensive survey by Sport England provides detailed insight into the physical activity habits of people in England. Active Lives incorporates cycling for travel, dancing as well as walking in addition to the fitness and sporting activities included in the former Active People survey. Furthermore, the Active Lives survey examines patterns of physical behaviour over a twelve-month period. This makes the survey more detailed than the previous Active People survey which examined physical behaviour over a period of just four weeks.

Key findings of the new Active Lives survey include:

• 25.6 percent of adults (16+) are currently inactive.
• People in the highest socioeconomic groups are more active than those in lower socioeconomic groups.
• The likelihood of inactiveness increases with age. People over 55 are significantly more likely to be inactive. 
• There is a difference in inactivity levels between men (24 percent) and women (27 percent).
• Walking for leisure and participating in sporting activities are the most frequent types of physical activity among people.

Sport England is a public organisation under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in the United Kingdom. Results from the Active Lives survey will be published twice a year.