At a glance
Coronavirus (Covid-19) has had a profound effect on the world, with social distancing and restrictions on movement resulting in a complete overhaul of the way many people get active.
With the implementation of guidance in England limiting people to one outdoor activity a day and only with members of their own household, the majority of sports and exercise activities became impossible overnight.
As a result, we wanted to know what impact the restrictions were having on the nation's physical activity levels and habits - as well as people's attitudes towards getting active.
Understanding the issue
In order to be better equipped to achieve one of our two main objectives during the coronavirus crisis, keeping the nation active, we needed to know how people's activity levels were affected by the restrictions on movement, as well as people's attitudes to physical activity in general.
This research is helping us to focus our attentions on specific demographics and activities, via our Join the Movement campaign.
It’s also helped us provide advice to the sector through our Return to Play work once restrictions started to be lifted.
Research
Shortly after the government issued guidance on social distancing and limiting people to one piece of outdoor exercise a day, we commissioned Savanta ComRes to conduct regular surveys.
Each week for the initial eight weeks of lockdown, Savanta ComRes surveyed the English public to assess their activity levels and attitudes towards physical activity.
Throughout this period, we published the results to help people understand the impact of coronavirus and how they could help to keep the nation active.
The research also included the ways people kept active and whether they did it solo, or with other members of their household.
Since then, we've been commissioning ad hoc surveys at key points, such as the weekend the majority of indoor sport and physical activity facilities were allowed to reopen.
Week by week findings
Below, you'll find the headlines from each week's results, as well as a report that details the data tables from each survey.
We've put together a report to show the Savanta ComRes data in full, as well as our accompanying analysis.
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Week 14: 27-30 November
Despite it being the last full week of the second period of national restrictions, adult physical activity levels were unchanged compared to a month earlier.
Read moreRead less- 33% of adults did less activity this week than this time last year, while 31% did more
- 65% of adults consider it important to them to exercise regularly
- 68% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 61% using it to manage their mental health
- 59% of adults walked in the last week, 17% ran or jogged, 12% cycled and 29% did home-based activity
- 40% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day during weekdays, with the figure at 31% at the weekend, while 11% are doing more than an hour on weekdays and 20% at the weekend.
A quarter of adults surveyed were active on five or more days in the last week, compared to 32% at the end of the lockdown in May.
Inequalities continue to be present, too, with women, people aged 16-34, people in social grades C2DE, disabled people and people with a longstanding condition/illness, all remain less likely to be active on five or more days.
As the national restrictions remained, people turned to walking to stay active with 59% walking in the last week, compared to 55% in the previous survey period.
Cycling levels did decrease slightly, though, from 14% in September, to 12% in the latest survey.
Adults were also reporting children being less active than in September, with an increase in the amount of children doing no out-of-school activity, and a drop in the amount of children doing an hours or more’s activity at weekend.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 13: 23-26 October
Despite no reportable differences in physical activity levels across the three tiers, regular adult physical activity has fallen and demographic differences continue.
Read moreRead less- 29% of adults did less activity this week than this time last year, while 28% did more
- 65% of adults consider it important to them to exercise regularly
- 65% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 62% using it to manage their mental health
- 55% of adults walked in the last week, 17% ran or jogged, 13% cycled and 28% did home-based activity
- 40% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day during weekdays, with the figure at 26% at the weekend, while 13% are doing more than an hour on weekdays and 25% at the weekend.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 12: 11-14 September
As life began to return to something resembling the pre-coronavirus norm, with more people back at their place of work and children back in school, adult physical activity settled at a lower level compared to the initial lockdown period.
Read moreRead less- 21% of adults did less activity this week than in a typical week during the initial lockdown period, while 33% did more
- 65% of adults consider it important to them to exercise regularly
- 66% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 60% using it to manage their mental health
- 55% of adults walked in the last week, 19% jogged, 14% cycled and 31% did home-based activity
- 37% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day during weekdays, with the figure at 24% at the weekend, while 12% are doing more than an hour on weekdays and 29% at the weekend.
The latest figures show 29% of adults are doing regular physical activity – 30 minutes of physical activity on five or more days a week – compared to results from Week 7 (15-18 May).
Activity in the home continued to fall and the proportion of walking and cycling done for travel/utility, has increased.
Participation levels in team sports have also increased compared to Week 9 (19-22 June), while attendance at gyms and fitness classes away from the home is up 8% from Week 11 (31 July-3 August) to 12%, with people using pools up from 5% to 10% in the same period.
However, with schools reopening, 15% of adults reported their children doing no weekday activity outside of school hour, but more parents reported their children doing more activity in the past week than in a typical week during the initial lockdown period.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 11: 31 July-3 August
As indoor facilities are allowed to open, regular physical activity levels are unchanged but big activities see slight dips in participation.
Read moreRead less- 21% of adults did less activity this week than the week before, while 28% did more
- 66% of adults consider it important to them to exercise regularly
- 67% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 62% using it to manage their mental health
- 58% of adults walked in the last week, 19% jogged, 13% cycled and 33% did home-based activity
- 30% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 21% are doing more than an hour.
Walking, cycling, running and home activities fall for the second survey in succession, as other facilities and society as a whole continues to open up.
However, children’s activity levels are up slightly over the levels recorded in weeks nine and 10, with a potential cause being the increase in free time as a result of school holidays.
Of those who visited gyms, swimming pools and other indoor sports facilities, around three quarters of them reported seeing safety measures in place, and more than half reported those measures feeling ‘about right’ – although a third found them inadequate.
There seemed to be little change in the views of those who didn’t visit an indoor facility, though, with two thirds of them saying they were very unlikely to visit one in the next 28 days.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 10: 10-14 July
With pools, gyms and leisure centres still closed but many other leisure options now available to people, adult physical activity levels feel the strain.
Read moreRead less- 21% of adults did less activity this week than the week before, while 29% did more
- 68% of adults consider it important to them to exercise regularly
- 70% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 66% using it to manage their mental health
- 58% of adults walked in the last week, 20% jogged, 14% cycled and 34% did home-based activity
- 34% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 18% are doing more than an hour.
Walking and home-based activity remain the most popular activities, however their levels are dropping as other some outdoor activities resume.
Three months on from our first survey, exercise continues to play a vital role in the helping people manage both their physical and mental wellbeing.
Just 27% of adults achieved 30 minutes of physical activity on five or more days in the last week, the lowest figure recorded in the surveys so far.
Although challenges remain in our objective of keeping the nation active, people are displaying positive intentions as they look to the future, with 53% of people saying they intend to walk at least once a month once restrictions are lifted – up from 49% walking pre-coronavirus.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 9: 19-22 June
As restrictions have eased across the country, physical activity levels have decreased – with home activity falling as some outdoor activities resume.
Read moreRead less- 25% of adults did less activity this week than the week before, while 28% did more
- 60% of adults think it’s more important to be active during the outbreak compared to other times
- 71% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 65% using it to manage their mental health
- 63% of adults walked in the last week, 22% jogged, 16% cycled and 38% did home-based activity
- 38% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 14% are doing more than an hour.
With schools, shops and workplaces starting to reopen, just 30% of adults achieved five or more bouts of 30 minutes of physical activity in the last week.
Children’s physical activity levels are also at their lowest since our first survey, with 12% doing nothing, and just 14% doing an hour or more. And in most activities, fewer adults are participating with children compared to previous weeks.
The positive is that 60% of people intend to be more active as lockdown eases, with 62% intending to walk and cycle more for everyday journeys – however, 32% feel coming out of lockdown will make it harder to be active.
Social distancing seems to be playing a large part in people’s activity levels, with 62% saying they would feel more concerned about being active in indoor spaces if it were reduced, while 13% said maintaining social distancing would help people return to physical activity.
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Weeks 1-8: A summary
Overall, activity levels held up relatively well throughout – with a third of adults doing 30 minutes or more of physical activity (at a level that raised their breathing rate) on five or more days a week.
Read moreRead lessHowever, below the surface, we see familiar inequalities replicated, even exacerbated. The whole population has been affected, but not affected equally.
The wider public health, social and economic impact of coronavirus is likely to have a greater negative impact on the capability, opportunity and motivation to be physically active for some groups over others.
We see this reflected in people’s behaviour. The demographic groups and audiences we were focusing on prior to the pandemic - such as women, people from lower socio-economic groups, older adults, people with a long term condition, illness or disability, and people from some BAME communities - are still finding it harder to be active.
People from a White background were most likely to have been active for at least 30 minutes on five or more days, and those from a Black background least likely.
Children and young people
Most parents have reported their children were doing some activity – only 9% of adults said the children in their households were doing no physical activity and exercise on a typical day. But only 19% said they were meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines and doing an hour a day.
And additional research by Childwise, into the effects of lockdown on activity levels in 5-17-year-olds, again illustrates the disruption to activity levels.
Part of Childwise’s omnibus Summer 2020 survey involving a nationally representative 1,164 children and conducted in May, shows some children and young people have struggled to get active at all during lockdown.
The figures have shown increased levels of activity as a family, though, as well as girls and children from BAME backgrounds finding it easier than others to be more active than usual.
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Week 8: 22-25 May
While the overall activity levels remained stable, running and jogging levels reached a new peak, as did informal play at home, and some inequalities lessened.
Read moreRead less-
21% of adults did less activity this week than the week before, while 32% did more
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64% of adults think it’s more important to be active during the outbreak compared to other times
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71% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 65% using it to manage their mental health
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64% of adults walked in the last week, 22% jogged, 14% cycled and 45% did home-based activity
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32% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 22% are doing more than an hour.
With the slight easing in restrictions, ‘other’ sport and physical activity category increased as people added more variety into how they got active.
Of those in the C2DE group, 33% did at least 30 minutes of physical activity on five separate days in the week – the highest percentage yet.
And the figure for disabled people or those with a long-term health condition is up to 29%, while the value for females (33%, compared to 35% of males) was at its highest level since week one.
People are also finding it easier to be active, with 70& of people – the highest yet – saying they have more time to be active and 41%, compared to 36% the week before, finding it easier to be active.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 7: 15-18 May
In the first week since lockdown restrictions were eased, activity levels were at their highest since the survey began – but yet the inequalities remained.
Read moreRead less- 23% of adults did less activity this week than the week before, while 29% did more
- 65% of adults think it’s more important to be active during the outbreak compared to other times
- 73% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 66% using it to manage their mental health
- 65% of adults walked in the last week, 20% jogged, 16% cycled and 45% did home-based activity
- 34% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 20% are doing more than an hour.
Almost every group surveyed saw an increase in their activity levels – many to their highest level since the survey began – but there are still inequalities in people’s activity levels.
Only 11% of people said they did no activity in the last week, the lowest figure yet, while 35% of adults said they did at least 30 minutes of activity, at least five times a week – the highest figure yet.
And while only 7% of children did no activity, the lowest yet, the number of children doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day increased from 30% to 34%, while the number doing more than an hour a day went from 22% to 20%.
Walking and cycling both hit peak figures, while people’s attitudes and motivations towards physical activity continue to be positive.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 6: 8-11 May
With little change in the figures, home-based activity reduced and the gender gap remains with men more likely to be doing 30 minutes of activity a day, five times a week, and women more likely to be doing less activity than normal.
Read moreRead less- 37% of adults did less activity this week than before the restrictions, while 33% did more
- 64% of adults think it’s more important to be active during the outbreak compared to other times
- 70% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 61% using it to manage their mental health
- 63% of adults walked in the last week, 19% jogged, 13% cycled and 43% did home-based activity
- 30% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 22% are doing more than an hour.
As the survey covering the initial phase of government restrictions comes to an end, it is clear that inequalities from activity levels pre-coronavirus, are maintained and even strengthened during the pandemic.
Men have been more likely to do more activity than women, while greater affluence as appears to correlate with greater activity levels and those from black, Asian or ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds are less likely to be active during the pandemic.
On a positive note, people’s attitude towards activity appear to be improving, with Week 6 seeing the highest level of people considering activity more important now than pre-coronavirus.
Also, the number of people walking and cycling has increased over the first six weeks of the survey, and while home-based activity reduced in Week 6, that could be attributed to the improved weather.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 5: 1-4 May
Activity levels are relatively unchanged for adults and children, with the gender gap persisting, but home-based activity has increased and attitudes around activity have also improved.
Read moreRead less-
36% of adults did less activity this week than before the restrictions, while 35% did more
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61% of adults think it’s more important to be active during the outbreak compared to other times
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67% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 62% using it to manage their mental health
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61% of adults walked in the last week, 19% jogged, 13% cycled and 48% did home-based activity
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35% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 19% are doing more than an hour.
Overall, there has been a decrease in the number of people doing fewer than 30 minutes of physical on no days during the week.
And while the gender gap persists in terms of the number of people doing at least 30 minutes of activity on five or more days a week, the figures for each gender saying they’re doing more, or less, than usual are much closer this week.
Home-based activity levels also improved this week and is up to its highest level yet at 48%.
And while there has been a steady increase over the course of the survey in people saying they are finding new ways to get active, 84% of gym or leisure centre members says they’re likely to resume their membership when facilities reopen.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 4: 24-27 April
Adults are reporting consistent physical activity levels over the period of the restrictions, however, more people now feel they're doing more, as opposed to less, physical activity than usual.
Read moreRead less- 34% of adults did less activity this week than before the restrictions, while 35% did more
- 59% of adults think it’s more important to be active during the outbreak compared to other times
- 66% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 62% using it to manage their mental health
- 61% of adults walked in the last week, 20% jogged, 11% cycled and 41% did home-based activity
- 35% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 18% are doing more than an hour.
The gender gap is widening, with 38% of females reporting being less active than usual, compared to 30% of males.
Home-based activities are continuing to decline, while outdoor activities continue to grow, but people may be losing the motivation to be active.
Fewer people are reporting exercise as enjoyable and satisfying, fewer agree that regular exercise is important to them and fewer are feeling guilty when they don’t exercise. Conversely, fewer people feel guilty about wanting to exercise during the outbreak.
Inequalities in activity levels persist, with women, older people, people on low incomes, people living alone, people without children in the household, people with a long-term health condition, people without access to private outdoor space and people self-isolating because they're at increased risk, all finding it harder to be active.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 3: 17-20 April
Adults continue to report similar levels of physical activity, but there’s an emerging gender gap, with more males likely to be exercising more than usual, than females.
Read moreRead less- 38% of adults did less activity this week than before the restrictions, while 34% did more
- 63% of adults think it’s more important to be active during the outbreak compared to other times
- 70% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 63% using it to manage their mental health
- 60% of adults walked in the last week, 19% jogged, 12% cycled and 45% did home-based activity
- 36% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 14% are doing more than an hour.
There’s an emerging gender gap as males are more likely to be exercising more. In this wave, more males report doing more (37%) than less (35%) physical activity compared to usual – a significant change from week 1 where 29% said more and 43% said less.
Female activity levels have not changed (currently 32% more, 41% less), where participation in 30 minutes of physical activity on at least five days in the last week has fallen from week 1 (35% to 29%).
We’ve also seen a decline in online exercise (23% in week 1 to 19% now), as people adjust to exercising out of the home and fewer people report worrying about leaving their home to exercise (60% in week 1 to 56% now).
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 2: 10-14 April
Adults are reporting similar levels of physical activity to the previous week, while children’s activity levels are up slightly.
Read moreRead less- 40% of adults did less activity this week than before the restrictions, while 33% did more
- 59% of adults think it’s more important to be active during the outbreak compared to other times
- 70% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 64% using it to manage their mental health
- 59% of adults walked in the last week, 16% jogged, 10% cycled and 45% did home-based activity
- 35% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 18% are doing more than an hour.
There are still differences in levels of activity between different demographic groups, while we’ve also seen a dip in women’s activity levels, with fewer women than men achieving 30 minutes of activity on five or more days, and more women than men doing no activity.
More people are agreeing that they don’t find exercising on their own enjoyable, and that they feel guilty about wanting to exercise during the outbreak.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Week 1: 3-6 April
There’s been a massive disruption in the physical activity behaviours of adults and children in England.
Read moreRead less-
41% of adults did less activity this week than before the restrictions, while 31% did more
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62% of adults think it’s more important to be active during the outbreak compared to other times
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69% of adults agree exercise is helping them manage their physical health, with 65% using it to manage their mental health
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59% of adults walked in the last week, 18% jogged, 8% cycled and 44% did home-based activity
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36% of children, according to adults in their household, are doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a day, while 14% are doing more than an hour.
The government’s messages about exercise may be having a positive impact, with 55% of adults in England agreeing that they’ve been encouraged to exercise by the government guidance.
But there are differences in levels of activity between different demographic groups. Older people, people on low incomes and people living in urban areas or living alone are finding it harder to be active during the outbreak.
Data from c. 2,000 respondents was weighted to be representative of adults in England by age, gender, region and social grade.
Full data tables can be found on the Savanta ComRes website.
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Return to play
We've asked our partners and the wider sector what was concerning them about the phased return of sport and physical activity.
There was clearly a fear that some people - those taking part, volunteers and the professional workforce - wouldn't naturally return to their activity.
There was also a recognition that there are a myriad of reasons that might cause this – be it increased levels of anxiety, ongoing restrictions of behaviour due to health conditions, safety and hygiene concerns, financial issues, a disruption of habit or the creation of new ones based around the home.
Within this concern was the specific risk that those who were already less active, and the groups for whom fewer opportunities already exist, would be hardest hit.
Do people intend to come back to sport and physical activity?
We know people value being active and this has continued during the crisis, with many people recognising the benefits of exercising on their physical and mental health.
But many people have not been able to take part in the activities they would most like to.
There are positive signs of an appetite to return – 69% of adults say they're looking forward to resuming a sport, exercise or physical activity they have not been able to do during lockdown once the restrictions are lifted. Gym work and swimming were most mentioned (reflecting the large numbers of the population who normally enjoy taking part in these activities).
In addition, 58% of adults say they'd like to continue new physical/sporting activities or habits they've found during lockdown once restrictions are lifted – with walking by far the most mentioned activity.
Younger (16-34) and more affluent adults (ABC1) were more likely to agree in both cases.
This highlights the ongoing challenge in reaching the demographic groups who’ve been finding it harder to be active.
What might hold people back?
We’re living through an unprecedented period of change and uncertainty and this is taking its toll on the population at large.
Levels of anxiety and depression in the UK have recently fallen, but remain above the usual reported averages.
How people are feeling will undoubtedly impact on their sense of capability to engage in any activity – including being physically active.
There's been a decline in the number of people who worry about leaving the house to be active. At the start of lockdown, around 60% of adults agreed they worried about leaving their home to exercise, but this has steadily dropped to under 50%. The decline has possibly levelled off as restrictions are eased and people adjust to what’s newly allowed again.
Around half of adults aren’t worried about returning to the activities they used to do, however, that means half do have some concerns. The biggest concerns are social distancing, contact with others and large crowds.
We also can’t forget the barriers to activity that existed well before coronavirus and continue to influence many people’s sense of capability and motivation to be active – from fear of judgement to a sense that 'being active is not for people like me'.
It’s also important to consider the complicated relationship between being active and guilt that exists for many of us. During the pandemic so far, on average 25% have felt guilty about wanting to exercise during the outbreak, while 50% have felt guilty about not exercising more during the outbreak.
We need to remain vigilant and sensitive to how people we’re encouraging to be active are feeling and what this means for those we’re encouraging to take part and those who volunteer and work in sport and activity settings.
Who’s most concerned?
Certain groups are more susceptible: thoughts of death and self-harm, experience of self-harm, and loneliness remain relatively stable in the population at large but are higher amongst younger people, those in urban areas, those with a lower household income and people with a diagnosed mental health condition.
People with long-term health conditions have been consistently more worried about leaving home to be active and are also more likely to be concerned about returning to activities they used to do – only 29% of those with long-term conditions said there was nothing they were worried about.
Women, adults with children in the household, people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and those living in urban areas have also tended to express higher levels of concern.
Club Matters Research
This summer, we commissioned Continuum, a partner of Club Matters, to research how participants and volunteers were feeling about returning to their clubs and what support they might need to encourage their return.
The insight gained through this research shows that people’s ability and appetite to return to their club is determined by a number of factors, including health concerns, anxiety levels, personal circumstances including work and caring responsibilities, as well as the quality of communication they’ve received from their club or community organisation since the start of coronavirus restrictions.
Generally, the appetite amongst those surveyed to return is high, with 86% of volunteers and 92% of participants keen to return at the earliest possible opportunity.
However, the research suggested that there are some audiences who are at higher risk of not coming back, including coaches, those who engaged with their club or community organisation the least pre-lockdown and those associated with indoor sports.
With clubs once again close their doors, the learnings from the first lockdown are as important now as ever.
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Club Matters - participants and members survey - Headline ReportDownload the file - 697.85 KB -
Club Matters - participants and members Survey - Full ReportDownload the file - 10.69 MB
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Club Matters - Volunteers Survey - headline reportDownload the file - 892.96 KB
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Club Matters - Volunteers Survey - full reportDownload the file - 15.63 MB
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Club Matters - Headline RecommendationsDownload the file - 8.33 MB