Activity habits in early weeks of lockdown revealed

22 Oct 2020 02:18 PM

We've published two new Active Lives Adult Survey reports that show how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted activity levels.

Activity levels in England were on course to reach record highs before the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic hit, according to our latest Active Lives Adult Survey.

The findings, which we’ve published today, cover the 12 months from mid-May 2019 to mid-May 2020 and include the first seven weeks of lockdown restrictions imposed to prevent the disease from spreading.

The survey shows that the gains made in the first 10 months of the year were cancelled out by drops in activity levels during this period, despite an increase in cycling for leisure, running outside and exercising at home as people adapted their activity habits during the pandemic. Overall, activity levels in England remained stable across the 12 months.

To explain the survey’s results as clearly as possible, we’ve produced two reports.

The first covers the full 12 months up until mid-May, while the second is a snapshot of people’s behaviours and attitudes between mid-March and mid-May and covers the period when restrictions across the country were introduced. This report gives the most detailed insight yet into how people adapted their activity habits in the first few weeks of restrictions.

Click here for the full press release