Enjoyability, importance and confidence
- More than three in five respondents agree that they exercise to help manage their physical health (62%). This is in line with Oct 2024 (59%) but a significant increase from Jan 2024 (53%).
- Male respondents (66%) are significantly more likely than female respondents (58%) to say they exercise to help manage their physical health.
- Those from the higher (ABC1) socio-economic background (66%) are significantly more likely than those from lower (C2DE) socio-economic background (58%) to exercise to manage their physical health.
- A similar number of respondents agree that they exercise to help manage their mental health (61%). This is in line with Oct 2024 (60%) but a significant increase from Jan 2024 (54%).
- Those aged 16-34 (68%) and 35-54 (64%) are significantly more likely than those aged 55+ (55%) to exercise to help manage their mental health.
- Those from the higher (ABC1) socio-economic background (66%) are significantly more likely than those from the lower (C2DE) socio-economic group (57%) to exercise to help manage their mental health.
- Of those that have participated in physical activity in the last three months, more than three in four (76%) rank being physically healthy as a motivation. These scores are in line with Oct 2024 (73%) and Jan 2024 (77%).
- Seven in ten (70%) rank to feel good as a motivation while more than half (55%) rank to get out of the house as a motivation.
- More than three in five (61%) respondents agree that they find exercise enjoyable and satisfying. These scores are in line with Oct 2024 (59%) and Jan 2024 (57%).
- Male respondents (68%) are significantly more likely than female respondents (54%) to say they find exercise enjoyable and satisfying.
- Those aged 16-34 (67%) and 35-54 (66%) are significantly more likely than those aged 55+ (54%) to find exercise enjoyable and satisfying.
- Those from the higher (ABC1) socio-economic backgrounds (69%) are significantly more likely than those from lower (C2DE) socio-economic backgrounds (53%) to say they find exercise enjoyable and satisfying.
- Respondents with no longstanding condition or illness (71%) are significantly more likely than those with a longstanding condition or illness (43%) to say they find exercise enjoyable and satisfying.
- Just over seven in ten (71%) respondents agree that it is important for them to exercise regularly, consistent with Oct 2024 (70%).
- Respondents from the higher (ABC1) socio-economic backgrounds (79%) are significantly more likely to agree that it is important for them to exercise regularly than respondents from the lower (C2DE) socio-economic group (64%).
- Respondents without a longstanding condition or illness (80%) are significantly more likely than respondents with a longstanding condition or illness (55%) to agree that it is important for them to exercise regularly.
- Almost two in three (65%) respondents agree they have the confidence to be physically active, which is in line with Oct 2024 (63%).
- Male respondents (74%) are significantly more likely than female respondents (56%) to say they have the confidence to be physically active.
- Respondents from the higher (ABC1) socio-economic group (74%) are significantly more likely than those from the lower (C2DE) socio-economic group (56%) to say they have the confidence to be physically active.
- Respondents with no longstanding illness or condition (78%) are significantly more likely than those with a longstanding illness or condition (42%) to say they have the confidence to be physically active.
- Around one in five (21%) respondents agree that they worry about leaving their home to take part in physical activity, in line with Oct 2024 (23%) and Jan 2024 (23%).
- Female respondents (27%) are significantly more likely than male respondents (16%) to agree that they worry about leaving their home to take part in physical activity.
- Respondents aged 16-34 (28%) are significantly more likely than those aged 55+ (16%) to worry about leaving their home to take part in physical activity.
- Respondents with a longstanding condition or illness (34%) are significantly more likely than those without a longstanding condition or illness (14%) to worry about leaving their home to take part in physical activity.
- Respondents from the lower (C2DE) socio-economic group (25%) are significantly more likely than those from the higher (ABC1) socioeconomic group (17%) to worry about leaving their home to take part in physical activity.
- Compared to Oct 2024 (24%), significantly fewer respondents from the ABC1 socioeconomic group worry about leaving their home to take part in physical activity than this wave (17%).
Location confidence
- Confidence about taking part in indoor locations continues to remain steady, with more than two in five (45%) respondents feeling confident about taking part in gym/health and fitness suites and just over one in three (35%) feeling confident about taking part in sports halls.
- Male respondents (49%) are more likely to say they are confident to take part in gyms and fitness suites than female respondents (41%).
- Male respondents (44%) are more likely to say they are confident to take part at sports halls than female respondents (26%).
- Of those who have done some form of physical activity in the past week, over two in five (44%) say they have used an indoor facility, in line with Oct 2024 (43%) and Jan 2024 (41%).
- Of those who have done some form of physical activity in the past week, 16-34- and 35–54-year-olds are significantly more likely to say they have used an indoor facility than those aged 55+ (63% vs 48% vs 26%).
