The Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, which was established in September 2017, provides a world-leading approach to gathering data on how children engage with sport and physical activity. This school-based survey is the first and largest established physical activity survey with children and young people in England. It gives anyone working with children aged 5-16 key insight to help understand children's attitudes and behaviours around sport and physical activity. The results will shape and influence local decision-making as well as inform government policy on the PE and Sport Premium, Childhood Obesity Plan and other cross-departmental programmes. More general information about the study can be found on the Sport England Active Lives Survey webpage and the Active Lives Online website, including reports and data tables.

Due to the closure of school sites during the coronavirus pandemic, the Active Lives Children and Young People survey was adapted to allow at-home completion. This approach was retained into the academic year 2022-23 to help maximise response numbers. The at-home completion approach was actively offered for secondary school pupils, and allowed but not encouraged for primary pupils.

The adaptions involved minor questionnaire changes (e.g., to ensure the wording was appropriate for those not attending school and enabling completion at home) and communication changes. For further details on the survey changes, please see the accompanying User Guide document. Academic years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 saw a more even split of responses by term across the year, compared to 2019-20, which had a reduced proportion of summer term responses due to the disruption caused by Covid-19.

The survey identifies how participation varies across different activities and sports, by regions of England, between school types and terms, and between different demographic groups in the population. The survey measures levels of activity (active, fairly active and less active), attitudes towards sport and physical activity, swimming capability, the proportion of children and young people that volunteer in sport, sports spectating, and wellbeing measures such as happiness and life satisfaction. The questionnaire was designed to enable analysis of the findings by a broad range of variables, such as gender, family affluence and school year.

The following datasets have been provided:

1) Main dataset: this file includes responses from children and young people from school years 3 to 11, as well as responses from parents of children in years 1-2. The parents of children in years 1-2 provide behavioural answers about their child’s activity levels; they do not provide attitudinal information. Using this main dataset, full analyses can be carried out into sports and physical activity participation, levels of activity, volunteering (years 5 to 11), etc. Weighting is required when using this dataset (wt_gross / wt_gross - Csplan files are available for SPSS users who can utilise them).

2) Year 1-2 dataset: This file includes responses directly from children in school years 1-2, providing their attitudinal responses (e.g., whether they like playing sport and find it easy). Analysis can also be carried out into feelings towards swimming, enjoyment of being active, happiness, etc. Weighting is required when using this dataset (wt_gross / wt_gross - Csplan files are available for SPSS users who can utilise them).

3) Teacher dataset: This file includes responses from the teachers at schools selected for the survey. Analysis can be carried out to determine school facilities available, the length of PE lessons, whether swimming lessons are offered, etc. Since December 2023, Sport England has provided weighting for the teacher data (‘wt_teacher’ weighting variable).

For further information, please read the supporting documentation before using the datasets.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, which was established in September 2017, provides a world-leading approach to gathering data on how children engage with sport and physical activity. This school-based survey is the first and largest established physical activity survey with children and young people in England. It gives anyone working with children aged 5-16 key insight to help understand children's attitudes and behaviours around sport and physical activity. The results will shape and influence local decision-making as well as inform government policy on the PE and Sport Premium, Childhood Obesity Plan and other cross-departmental programmes. More general information about the study can be found on the Sport England Active Lives Survey webpage and the Active Lives Online website, including reports and data tables.

The Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, 2017-2018 commenced during school academic year 2017 / 2018. It ran from autumn term 2017 to summer term 2018 and excludes school holidays. The survey identifies how participation varies across different activities and sports, by regions of England, between school types and terms, and between different demographic groups in the population. The survey measures levels of activity (active, fairly active and less active), attitudes towards sport and physical activity, swimming capability, the proportion of children and young people that volunteer in sport, sports spectating, and wellbeing measures such as happiness and life satisfaction. The questionnaire was designed to enable analysis of the findings by a broad range of variables, such as gender, family affluence and school year.

The following datasets are available:

1) Main dataset includes responses from children and young people from school years 3 to 11, as well as responses from parents of children in years 1-2. The parents of children in years 1-2 provide behavioural answers about their child's activity levels, they do not provide attitudinal information. Using this main dataset, full analyses can be carried out into sports and physical activity participation, levels of activity, volunteering (years 5 to 11), etc. Weighting is required when using this dataset (wt_gross / wt_set1.csplan).

2) Year 1-2 pupil dataset includes responses from children in school years 1-2 directly, providing their attitudinal responses (e.g. whether they like playing sport and find it easy). Analysis can be carried out into feelings towards swimming, enjoyment for being active, happiness etc. Weighting is required when using this dataset (wt_gross / wt_set1.csplan).

3) Teacher dataset includes responses from the teachers at schools selected for the survey. Analysis can be carried out into school facilities available, length of PE lessons, whether swimming lessons are offered, etc. Weighting was formerly not available, however, as Sport England have started to publish the Teacher data, from December 2023 we decide to apply weighting to the data. The Teacher dataset now includes weighting by applying the ‘wt_teacher’ weighting variable.

For further information about the variables available for analysis, and the relevant school years asked survey questions, please see the supporting documentation. Please read the documentation before using the datasets.

Latest edition information

For the second edition (January 2024), the Teacher dataset now includes a weighting variable (‘wt_teacher’). Previously, weighting was not available for these data.

Main Topics:

Topics covered in the Active Lives Children and Young People Survey include:

• Sport and physical activity participation
• Well-being
• Health

This statistic shows the results of a survey on the number of people who volunteered to support sport and physical activity in England from 2017 to 2020, by gender. The survey was conducted online and the latest update on it was conducted for the time period between ******** and ************* with a total of ****** respondents. The data collected resulted in the conclusion that as of ************* approximately *********** men and *********** women participated in volunteering to support sport and physical activities in England. More information on participation levels as well as other facts on snow sports can be found in the Dossier: Winter sports in the United Kingdom.

Active People Survey local area statistics on participation in sport and culture from December 2012 owards are available on Sport England’s website. Previous data is available below.

The latest set of local area statistics were published on 22 June 2012.

• This report presents local area statistics on participation in sport and active recreation using interim results from Sport England’s Active People Survey (APS) 6. Data published for County Councils and those authorities that have boosted samples will be based on Active People Survey data from April 2011 to April 2012.

• For the other authorities, the statistics are based on the 24 month period April 2010 to April 2012 giving a sample size of 1000. The report is accompanied by a workbook containing local area estimates.

http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/9143.aspx">Local Area statistics on adult participation in sport and culture - Active People Survey 6 Report: June 2012

Previous release: The latest set of local area statistics were published on 8 December 2011.

• This report presents local area statistics on participation in sport and active recreation using results from Sport England’s Active People Survey (APS) 5. Data published for County Councils and those authorities that have boosted samples will be based on Active People Survey data from October 2010 to October 2011.

• For the other authorities, the statistics are based on the 24 month period October 2009 to October 2011 giving a sample size of 1000. The report is accompanied by a workbook containing local area estimates.

08/12/11
http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8681.aspx">Local Area statistics on adult participation in sport and culture - Active People Survey 5 Report: December 2011

Previous releases: The previous releases of local area statistics was published on the dates below and included data on participation in sport and culture.

16/06/11
http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8221.aspx">Local Area statistics on adult participation in sport and culture - Active People Survey 5 Interim Report: June 2011

16/12/10
http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/7667.aspx">Local Area statistics on adult participation in sport and culture - Active People Survey 4

Previous releases issued as part of the monitoring of http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/research_and_statistics/7670.aspx">National Indicators 8, 9, 10 and 11 are available online

For further detail about the estimates please contact us by email via takingpart@culture.gsi.gov.uk

The Active People Survey commenced in October 2005 and was commissioned by Sports England. The primary objective of the survey was to measure levels of participation in sport and active recreation and its contribution to improving the health of the nation. Sport and active recreation included walking and cycling for recreation in addition to more traditional formal and informal spots. When measuring sports participation the survey not only recorded the type of activity but also the frequency, intensity and duration of the activity.

The Active People Survey was replaced by the Active Lives Survey in November 2015. Active Lives is a new survey with a different methodology and intended to measure different outcomes from those in the Active People Survey, however there are similarities as it was important that data could be reproduced on some of the key measures.

More general information can be found on the Sport England Active Lives Survey webpage and the Active Lives Online website, including reports and data tables.


For the second edition (October 2015), the data file was replaced with a new version to reflect changes in the Sport England core measure, the ‘1x30’ indicator. The documentation has also been updated.

This statistic shows the results of a survey on the share of people who volunteered to support sport and physical activity in England in 2020, by working status. The survey was conducted online and the latest update on it was conducted for the time period between ******** and ************* with a total of 66,196 respondents. The data collected resulted in the conclusion that as of ************* approximately **** percent of the full- or part-time students participated in volunteering to support sport and physical activities in England. More information on participation levels as well as other facts on snow sports can be found in the Dossier: Winter sports in the United Kingdom.

Percentage of the adult population participating in sports taken from Sport England's Active People Survey.

The survey provides by far the largest sample size ever established for a sport and recreation survey and allows levels of detailed analysis previously unavailable. It identifies how participation varies from place to place and between different groups in the population.

The spreadsheet shows regional data for two measures:

• 1+ session a week (at least 4 sessions of at least moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes in the previous 28 days)

• 3+ sessions a week (at least 12 sessions of at least moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes in the previous 28 days)

% of physically active and inactive adults - active adults. The provider of data for this indicator is Public Health England based on Active Lives (self-report survey) and Sport England. This indicator measures the number of respondents aged 19 and over, with valid responses to questions on physical activity, doing at least 150 moderate intensity equivalent (MIE) minutes physical activity per week in bouts of 10 minutes or more in the previous 28 days expressed as a percentage of the total number of respondents aged 19 and over. *This indicator has been discontinued

Active People Survey (APS) is a national survey of sports participation which reports at the national, demographic and local level. The survey is an official statistic and has been running since 2005

Active People Interactive is an interactive web tool which allows users to query the APS datasets (2006-2013)

Key Performance Indicators from Active People Survey (APS).

Data on volunteering, club membership, tuition, organised sport, competition, satisfaction with local sports provision, for local authorities, based on Active People Survey.

KPI 1 Participation is defined as taking part on at least 3 days a week in moderate intensity sport and active recreation (at least 12 days in the last 4 weeks) for at least 30 minutes continuously in any one session. Participation includes recreational walking and cycling.

KPI 2 Volunteering is defined as ‘Volunteering to support sport for at least one hour a week’.

KPI 3 Club membership is defined as ‘being a member of a club particularly so that you can participate in sport or recreational activity in the last 4 weeks’.

KPI 4 Receiving tuition is defined as ‘having received tuition from an instructor or coach to improve your performance in any sport or recreational activity in the last 12 months’.

KPI 5 Organised Competition is defined as ‘having taken part in any organised competition in any sport or recreational activity in the last 12 months’.

KPI 6 Satisfaction is the percentage of adults who are very or fairly satisfied with sports provision in their local area.

Organised sport is defined as the percentage of adults who have done at least one of the following: received tuition in the last 12 months, taken part in organised competition in the last 12 months or been a member of a club to play sport.

A statistically significant change is indicated by 'increase' or 'decrease' and this means that we are 95% certain that there has been a real change (increase or decrease).

For more information on measuring statistically significant change within Active People, see the briefing note on Sport England’s website.

The 'Base' refers to the sample size, i.e. the number of respondents.

http://activepeople.sportengland.org/

This statistic shows the results of a survey on the Number of people who volunteered to support sport and physical activity in England from 2017 to 2020, by disability. The survey was conducted online and the latest update on it was conducted for the time period between ******** and ************* with a total of ****** respondents. The data collected resulted in the conclusion that as of ************* approximately *** thousand people with a disability participated in volunteering to support sport and physical activities in England. More information on participation levels as well as other facts on snow sports can be found in the Dossier: Winter sports in the United Kingdom.

This official statistics publication reports the percentage of pupils participating in at least 120 minutes of curriculum PE and out of hours sport, for all schools and FE colleges in England, as measured by the annual PE and Sport Survey (undertaken by TNS-BMRB on behalf of the Department for Education). Data is given for the academic year for all Local Authorities in England. Source agency: Education Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: 2009/10

This statistic shows the results of a survey on the number of people who volunteered to support sport and physical activity in England from 2017 to 2018, by roles undertaken and age groups. The survey was conducted online and the latest update on it was conducted for the time period between May 2017 and May 2018 with a total of ******* respondents. The data collected resulted in the conclusion that as of May 2018 approximately *** thousand people between the age of ** and ** volunteered to support sport and physical activities in England as referees, umpired or officiated. More information on participation levels as well as other facts on snow sports can be found in the Dossier: Winter sports in the United Kingdom.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Taking Part survey collects data on many aspects of leisure, culture and sport in England, as well as an in-depth range of socio-demographic information on respondents. The survey is commissioned by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in partnership with three of its non-departmental public bodies (Sport England, Arts Council England and English Heritage). The survey was first commissioned in 2005 as a face-to-face household survey of adults (16+) in England. Since then it has run annually and has also been developed to include further elements, including a child element and a longitudinal element.

Further information can be found on the Gov.uk Taking Part web pages.


For Taking Part, 2014-2015, also known as Year 10 of the continuous survey, a child boost was included, which has increased the number of 11-15 year olds asked about sports participation. Adult and child longitudinal datasets and accompanying documentation are also available.


Main Topics:

Main topics covered by the survey include: the arts, museums and galleries, libraries, archives, heritage, sport, World War I, the Olympics, volunteering, charitable giving and demographics. These topics appear in the main adult and child datasets, and in the adult longitudinal dataset. The Child Boost dataset only contains questions on sports participation.

In order to preserve confidentiality, variables relating to census output area, postcode sector, local authority, and primary sampling units have been removed from the UK Data Archive End User Licence version. A Special Licence version that contains more detailed data, including some of the variables listed above and detailed geographical variables (Local Authorities, ACORN Group, ACORN Category and ONS Urban Rural Classification), is available under SN 7873.

Survey on the extent and nature of engagement and non-engagement in culture, leisure and sport among adults aged 16 years and above. Source agency: Culture, Media and Sport Designation: National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: PSA21

This statistical release presents statistics on the prevalence of walking and cycling amongst adults, at local authority level. It includes information on the frequency and purpose of walking and cycling. This publication is based on data from the Active People Survey run by Sport England. Source agency: Transport Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Local area walking and cycling in England