Lifestyles and sport
3 out of 5 take part in sport or exercise
Top 10 sporting activities performed by 16 to 24 year olds: by sex, 2007/08, England
Nearly three out of five (59 per cent) young people aged 16 to 24 in England reported taking part in sport or exercise as a free time activity in 2007/08. Young men were more likely to have participated in sport or exercise compared with young women (73 per cent and 44 per cent respectively). In 2007/08 90 per cent of young people had taken part in at least one type of active sport in the 12 months prior to interview (96 per cent of young men and 85 per cent of young women).
Outdoor football was the most common sporting activity carried out by men aged 16 to 24 in 2007/08 with nearly half (47 per cent) participating in the four weeks prior to interview. Nearly a third (30 per cent) of young men participated in snooker, pool or billiards and just over a quarter (27 per cent) participated in health, fitness, gym or conditioning activities such as abdominal and thigh exercises. For young women the most common sporting activities were health, fitness, gym or conditioning activities and indoor swimming or diving with nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of women participating in each of these activities.
Of the 10 per cent of young people that had not participated in an active sport in the 12 months prior to interview, the main reasons for not doing so were difficulty in finding the time (39 per cent) and lack of interest (37 per cent).
Selected free time activities performed by 16 to 24 year olds, 2007/08, England
Spending time with friends and family, listening to music and watching television were the most common leisure activities carried out by just over eight out of 10 (83 per cent, 83 per cent and 82 per cent respectively) young people aged 16 to 24 in their free time in England in 2007/08. The next most common activities were shopping and using the Internet/emailing performed by nearly seven out of ten (69 per cent) young people. Going to the cinema and to pubs, bars and clubs was popular with around six out of ten young people (64 per cent and 60 per cent respectively).
There were differences between young men and women in how they spend their leisure time. The most common activities performed by young men were watching television (83 per cent) and listening to music (82 per cent) while the most common activities for young women were spending time with friends and family (87 per cent) and shopping (85 per cent).
Source: Taking Part: The National Survey of Culture, Leisure and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Notes: Keep fit includes aerobics, dance exercise (including exercise bike).
Jogging includes cross-country and road running.
Indoor Football includes 5-a-side and 6-a-side.
Cycling includes for health, recreation, training or competition.
Snooker and pool includes billiards but excludes bar billiards.
Health and fitness includes gym and conditioning activities.
Indoor swimming includes diving.
The proportions quoted for barriers to sport participation was based on a small sample size of 189 young people aged 16 to 24.
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