Sustainable Mobility and Transport 2021

At an overall level, 46.5% of respondents aged 18 years and over walked at least five times a week, an increase of eight percentage points on the same period in 2019 (38.5%). Over one in five (21.2%) walked slightly less frequently, three to four times a week, compared with less than one in six (16.8%) respondents in 2019. A further 15.3% of respondents walked one to two times a week, compared with less than one in eight (13.2%) in the same period in 2019. See Table 4.1 and Figure 4.1.

Young males aged 18 to 29 years are most active with regard to walking. Nearly six in ten (56.8%) males in this age group walked at least five times weekly, compared with almost half (49.4%) of females in this age band. A further 23% of males walked three to four times a week, compared with 22.1% of females in this age group. One in seven (14.4%) females in this age group walked just once or twice weekly, compared with just one in eleven (9%) males aged 18 to 29 years. See Table 4.1.

Nearly half (49.1% of males and 49.7% of females) of respondents aged between 30 and 44 years walked at least five times weekly. While over four in ten (42.8% of males and 44.8% of females) respondents aged 45 to 59 years walked almost daily also. See Table 4.1.

Older females aged 60 to 74 years were more active walkers than males of similar age - 50.3% of females compared with 40.3% of males in this age group. However, for persons aged 75 and over, males were more active walkers – 36% of men this age compared with over one quarter (26.1%) of females in this older age group. Over three in ten (31.3%) females in this age group never walked compared with 23.8% of males of similar age. See Table 4.1.

The average distance that a person walked on a typical journey was 4.3km – 4.6km for males and 4km for females. The average journey walking distance for males aged 75 years plus was 3.4km compared with 2.4km for females in this age group. See Table 4.1.

Nearly half (48.2%) of walking trips were for the purpose of leisure or exercise – 49.4% of males and slightly more (51.1%) for females. For older persons, the greater part of their walking trips is for the purposes of exercise or leisure rather than going to a specific destination. For males aged 75 plus, nearly two thirds (65.4%) of all walks are for leisure/exercise purposes, compared with 27.1% of walks taken by younger males aged 18 to 29 years. Similarly, over six in ten (61%) walking trips taken by females aged 75 years and over are for the purposes of leisure or exercise, compared with just over one third (33.9%) of walks taken by females aged between 18 and 29 years. See Table 4.2.

Nearly one quarter (24.5%) of walks taken by young females age 18 to 29 years are completely for the purpose of going to a specific destination rather than for the purpose of exercise or leisure, compared with over one in five (21.9%) of males in this age group. See Table 4.2.

Nearly seven in ten (68.2% of males and 67.8% of females) persons aged 75 years and over said that one of their reasons for choosing to walk was to keep fit/for exercise. Over half (51.8% of males and 52.2% of females) in this age group who walk at least weekly said that they enjoy walking. See Table 4.3.

Of younger males aged 18 to 29 years, nearly one quarter (23.3%) said that they walked because they had no other alternative, compared with less than one in five (18.1%) females in this age group. One in eight (12.8%) males in this age band said that walking allowed them greater freedom, while one in thirteen felt that walking gave them more control over their journey times, over double that of females (3.3%) in the same age group. See Table 4.3.

Note that respondents could select more than one option.

Respondents who walk less than weekly were asked for their reasons for not walking more often. Over three in ten (31.9%) cited health or mobility issues – 35.9% of females compared with 28.5% of males. The age where this was particularly an issue was for those aged 75 years and older. Nearly eight in ten (78.2%) females aged 75 plus who walk less than weekly cited this as a reason for not walking more often, compared with over seven in ten (72.8%) males in this age group. See Table 4.4 and Figure 4.2.

At an overall level, one in seven (14%) cited unsuitable infrastructure as a reason for not walking. One in six respondents in the 30 to 44 years age group (16.7% of males and 16% of females) cited this as a reason, as did one in nine males (11.3%) and females (11.7%) aged 45 to 59 years. See Table 4.4 and Figure 4.2.

One in eight (12.3%) respondents who walk less than weekly said that they have personal safety concerns. Nearly one in five (17.8%) females said that they did not walk often due to fears for their personal safety, more than double that of males (7.5%). Over one in five females aged 45 to 74 years said that this was a concern for them. Respondents were asked when they feared most for their personal safety, day, night or both day and night. Fears for one’s personal safety while walking was for the most part both during the day and night, particularly for females (14.6%), double that of males (7.3%). See Table 4.4 and Figure 4.2.