Active Lives Children and Young People Survey Coronavirus (Covid-19) - 2019/20

It reveals a reduction in the number of active children and young people of 2.3% – or just over 100,000 – compared to the same period 12 months before. This figure would clearly have been much worse had considerable numbers of children and young people not switched into alternative or adapted activities.

Not surprisingly, sporting activities (which include team sports, athletics/running and swimming) were collectively hardest hit, down 16% or just over a million fewer children and young people taking part, whilst the biggest gains were found in walking, cycling and fitness.

Although overall reductions have been minimised, the disruption has had an unprecedented impact upon physical literacy, with changes to perceived competence, confidence and enjoyment of concern going forward.

The report also looks in detail at a range of demographics groups, highlighting that the impact has been widely but not evenly felt with boys, and children from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic backgrounds having found it the hardest to remain regularly active during the pandemic.

The contents covered in this report include:

• Coronavirus timeline
• The impact on levels of activity
• The role of positive attitudes
• Demographic variation
• Outcomes
• Loneliness