COVERING the period between November 2020 and November 2021, the results show that while activity levels dropped as a result of restrictions designed to stop the spread of the virus, they then stabilised and are now starting to recover.

Between November 2020 and November 2021, 61.4 per cent of the population were active, and 27.2 per cent were inactive. The recovery started in mid-March 2021 when there was a rise of 3 per cent to 61.2 per cent of the population getting active (between mid-March – mid-May), compared to just 58.2 per cent 12 months earlier.

When restrictions were lifted in July 2021, the number of people saying they felt they had the opportunity to be active increased close to levels we saw pre the emergence of coronavirus.

Team sports participation numbers bounced back close to pre-pandemic levels, following large drops during restrictions. Football, cricket and basketball have seen large numbers of returners which is driving the overall recovery in team sports.

There is positive news for older people with recovery to pre-pandemic levels seen in activity levels for those aged 55-74 and 75+.

Overall population numbers hide stark inequalities with women, those from ethnically diverse communities, those living in more deprived areas, disabled people and people with long-term health conditions still less likely to be active than others, and the pandemic has exacerbated the inequalities for the least affluent, Asian people, disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.

The gap in activity levels between the haves and have nots has also widened during the pandemic, with those that live in deprived areas seeing bigger drops in activity levels than those in more well-off areas.

While initial drops have stabilised for most groups, activity levels for the younger adults (16-34) have continued to fall, continuing a downward trend that started before the pandemic.