The Active People Survey is a large telephone survey of sport and active recreation, commissioned by Sport England. The survey measures participation in sport and active recreation, and provides details of how participation varies from place to place and between different groups in the population. The survey also measures other sport-related issues such as volunteering; club membership; tuition or coaching; and overall satisfaction with levels of sporting provision in the local community. The survey began in October 2005, and is repeated annually. The survey provides the measurement for former National Indicator 8 (NI8) - adult participation in sport and active recreation.

New data from the Active People Survey (APS) – download here

Frequently asked questions (new data from the APS)

These are new APS data from April 2010 - April 2011 (the last two quarters of APS4 and the first two quarters of APS5). The data measure the number of adults (aged 16 and over) participating in sport and/or undertaking some form of physical activity at moderate intensity. The activities included are: sport, recreational cycling, recreational walking, walking for active travel purposes, cycling for active travel purposes, dance and gardening. Occupational activity or work in the home is not included.

The three frequencies provided in these data are: 0x30 (no 30 minute sessions in the previous 28 days), 1x30 (4 or more 30 minute sessions in the previous 28 days) and 5x30 (20 or more 30 minute sessions in the previous 28 days).

The data are shown at LA, County Sports Partnership (CSP) and Regional level.

• Methodology: Bespoke telephone questionnaire collected data on frequency of participation in sport and active recreation during the previous 4 weeks.
• Start date: 2005
• Frequency of survey: Survey 1: 2005-6; Survey 2: 2007-8; Survey 3: 2008; Survey 4: 2009-10; Survey 5: 2010-11
• Most recent full year results: December 2010
• Commissioned by: Sport England
• Coverage: Adult 16+yrs in England
• Link to data source: http://www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_survey.aspx

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