Activity

Physical activity is defined as a total of 30 mins or more of exercise which was enough to raise breathing rate.

Activity levels

• Just under one in two (48%) adults in Wales are doing physical activity on 2-4 days a week. This remains in line with Jul 24 (45%) and Oct 23 (48%).
• The proportion of people doing physical activity on 5+ days a week (28%) is higher than Oct 23 (24%).
• The proportion doing no exercise (14%) is lower than in Oct 23 (18%), and is the lowest figure observed across all waves.
• Adults in Wales reported a mean of 3.18 days of physical activity per week. This is higher than Jul 24 (3.15), Oct 23 (2.90), and is the highest figure seen since May 20 (3.25%).
  • Respondents aged 55+ are significantly more likely than 35-54- and 16-34-year-olds to have done no physical activity in the past week (22% and 11% vs 6%).
  • Respondents with a disability are significantly more likely than those without to have done no physical activity in the past week (18% vs 12%).
  • However, the number of disabled respondents who do no physical activity (18%), is lower than Jul 24 (21%), Oct 23 (23%), and is the lowest figure observed across all waves.
  • Compared to Oct 23, those aged 16-34 are significantly more likely to have done physical activity on 5+ days a week (24% vs 33%).
  • Respondents from lower socio-economic backgrounds (C2DE) are significantly more likely to say they do no physical activity than those from higher groups (ABC1) (19% vs 10%).
• Nine in ten (90%) respondents who have children aged 15 or younger said that their children did some form of physical activity outside of school hours on a typical weekday.
  • This is in line with Jul 24 (90%) and Oct 23 (92%).
• Over nine in ten (93%) of respondents who have children aged 15 or younger also said that their children did some form of physical activity outside of school hours on a typical weekend day.
  • This is in line with Jul 24 (93%) and Oct 23 (94%).

Activity type and frequency

• The most common activities done by respondents in the week preceding the survey period were walking for leisure (64%), walking for travel (27%), running or jogging (18%), and gym, fitness or exercise class away from home (17%).
  • The proportion of respondents who have done a home-based activity in the past week (20%) is higher than in Oct 23 (17%).
• In the last three months, just over three in five respondents say they regularly walk for either leisure or travel (62%) (at least once per month).
  • Just over one in four say they go to a gym, fitness or exercise class (26%), and one in five go swimming (20%).
  • One in ten (10%) say they have done no regular physical activity in the last three months. This is the same as in Jul 24 (10%) and remains the joint-lowest figure seen across all waves.

Opportunity & ability 

• Just under three in four (74%) respondents agree that they have the ability to be physically active, the highest score across all waves.
  • 16-34s and 35-54s are significantly more likely than 55+ to agree they have the ability to be physically active (83% vs 79% vs 65%).
  • Respondents with no disability are significantly more likely than those with a disability to agree they have the ability to be physically active (86% vs 52%).
  • Respondents from higher socio-economic backgrounds (ABC1) are significantly more likely to agree they have the ability to be physically active than those from lower groups (C2DE) (83% vs 65%).
• Three in four (74%) respondents agree that they have the opportunity to be physically active, in line with Jul 24 (75%) and Oct 23 (73%).
  • Male respondents are significantly more likely than women to agree that they have the opportunity to be physically active (78% vs 70%).
  • Respondents from higher socio-economic backgrounds (ABC1) are significantly more likely to agree that they have the opportunity to be physically active than those from lower groups (C2DE) (81% vs 68%).
  • Respondents with no disability are significantly more likely than those with a disability to agree they have the opportunity to be physically active (81% vs 60%).
  • Those with children living in the household are more likely than those without to agree that they have the opportunity to be physically active (78% vs 73%).
• One in three (33%) respondents agree that they don’t have enough time to be physically active due to other commitments, in line with Jul 24 (30%) and Oct 23 (32%).
  • Respondents aged 16-34 and 35-54 are significantly more likely than 55+ year olds to agree that they don’t have enough time to be physically active due to other commitments (46% and 42% vs 17%).
  • Respondents from higher socio-economic backgrounds (ABC1) are significantly more likely to agree that they don’t have enough time to be physically active due to other commitments than those from lower groups (C2DE) (39% vs 27%).
  • Respondents with children aged 15 or under are significantly more likely than those without to agree that they don’t have enough time to be physically active due to other commitments (47% vs 25%).
  • Respondents with other care responsibilities in the household are significantly more likely than those that don’t to agree that they don’t have enough time to be physically active due to other commitments (46% vs 33%).
• Adults in Wales from higher socio-economic backgrounds (ABC1) are significantly more likely to agree that there are an adequate number of sport and physical activity facilities in their local area than those from lower groups (C2DE) (58% vs 51%).
  • Those living in Mid Wales are most likely disagree that there are an adequate number of sport and physical activity facilities in their local area (29%).