Sport England's Active Lives Survey measures the sport and physical activity levels of adults (aged 16+) across England. The most recent survey looked at the period November 2022-November 2023. Activity levels have remained largely unchanged compared to 12 months ago but looking at the long term figures it shows an increase of 1.3% or 2 million more adults being active since the survey was first conducted November 2015-16.
The Active Lives Survey allows us to gain a picture of what's happening in England, as well as enabling us to see how we measure up in Berkshire. The survey shows us how active people are in different areas and how these levels have changed, who within our county is not managing to be as active as we would like and how many adults are giving back to their communities by volunteering. Many longstanding inequalities in activity levels remain, with women, those from lower socio-economic groups and areas of deprivation and Black and Asian people still less likely to be active than others.
In England, 63.4% of adults are achieving the recommended minimum 150 minutes of physical activity each week, meaning 29.5 million people are now gaining all the amazing health benefits from being active. However there are still 11.9 million inactive adults meaning a quarter of the population is doing less than an average of 30 minutes per week.
The results for Berkshire are slightly better with 65.3% of people being reportedly active and 23.9% inactive; these have not significantly changed over the past year but activity levels have seen a small 1% increase. Although this is positive there is still a long way to go with getting all of Berkshire active which is why the work we are doing is so vital to give everyone the opportunity to be physically active.
As most of us know, physical activity is so important to individuals in terms of their physical and mental health; it can decrease the risk of many chronic conditions such as cancer, stroke and type 2 diabetes and can make a positive impact upon reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as enhancing self-esteem and well-being. There are also many benefits of sport and physical activity both socially and culturally, bringing people together and creating social groups. Participation has shown to improve numeracy in children, reduce crime and strengthen community identity.
To look at the latest report and understand about the demographic differences, visit the Sport England website. Or use the query builder to explore the results in greater detail.
