A module on sport and physical exercise was included in the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) in the three months from April to June 2013 (quarter 2). This release presents the results from that module.

Summary of main results

• Nearly 73% of the population do physical activity for the purposes of exercise, recreation or sport. These are made up of the 37.8% of persons who are engaged in sport or other physical activity (other than walking) and the 34.7% of persons who do not participate in sport but do walk for recreational purposes. See headline table and figure 1.
• Nearly 6 in 10 (58.8%) persons walk for recreational purposes. Over one fifth (20.7%) of persons walk for utility purposes (getting from place to place) while 14.7% of respondents do not participate in physical exercise - neither in a sport/other physical activity nor walking (for either recreational or utility purposes). See headline table and figure 1.
• For those persons who do not participate in sport/other physical activity nor walk for recreational or utility purposes, lack of time (nearly 35%) was the main reason given for non-participation. About 29% stated that the main reason was 'illness, injury or disability'. Nearly one fifth (18.8%) stated that the main reason was 'lack of motivation'. See table 2.
• Apart from walking for recreational purposes, aerobics/keep fit/gym was the most popular sport or physical activity (19.2%), particularly for females – nearly 27% of females stated that this was their main sport or physical activity. The second most popular sport or physical activity was swimming (14.2%), followed by cycling (13.6%). See table 3a.
• Over 8 in 10 persons stated that the main reason for continued participation in sport was 'improving physical health and fitness'. See table 3d. Over two thirds (67.3%) of persons when asked about their principal influence in sport said they 'exercised on their own initiative'. See table 3g.
• The main additional facility that persons would like to see in their local area was a swimming pool (18.7%), followed by designated on-road cycle routes (11.4%) while 8.1% would like to see public walkways. See table 4.
• Nearly 4 in 10 persons (39.3%) are not a member of any sports or fitness club, while nearly 57% are a member of one sports or fitness club. Just over 4% have membership of two or more sports or fitness clubs. See table 5.