Active Lives Adults Survey

Sport England’s Active Lives Adult Survey measures the sport and physical activity levels of adults aged 16+ across England. Released once a year the most recent survey looked at the period November 2020 to November 2021. The report contains a full year of coronavirus restrictions.  

Follow this link to access the Sport England Active Lives information and resources

This short film provides an introduction and overview of the Active Lives Adults data at a national and local level for period November 2020 – November 2021.

At a national level

61.4% of adults are achieving the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity a week, meaning 28 million adults are benefitting from being active. However, there are still over 12 million (27.2%) inactive adults doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week.

Significant inequalities still remain: 

• Men are more likely to be active than women 
• Those from lower socioeconomic groups are the least likely to be active 

• Activity levels decrease with age, with the sharpest decline seen at age 75+ 
• Activity levels are lower for disabled people and those with a long-term health condition 
• Significant inequalities remain for culturally diverse communities  

When looking at the types of activities: 

• Walking for leisure has continued to rise 

• Active Travel and fitness have continued to decline 
• Team sports have largely returned to pre pandemic levels 
• Volunteering numbers have sharply fallen 
• Adults engaging in sport and physical activity feel less lonely 

At a local level

In Kent and Medway the results are similar. 61.8% of adults are active, 7,800 fewer active adults compared to the previous year whilst 26.7% of adults are inactive.  

• Canterbury (65.5%) and Tonbridge and Malling (65.1%) are the most active districts 
• Swale (33.2%) is the most inactive district 

Active Kent and Medway are committed to tackling inactivity and reducing the inequalities in sport and physical activity across the county.

Follow this link to see how we’re tackling inequalities across Kent