We're becoming a nation of couch potatoes: Number of British adults going for a stroll plummets 20% in a decade

  • People covered around 95 miles by foot last year – a decline of 19% in 14 years
  • Around 21% of us go for a stroll exceeding 20 minutes no more than once a year
  • Number of trips made by bike and miles driven in a car have also both dropped

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

Published: | Updated:

The number of Britons who regularly enjoy a long walk has plummeted by almost a fifth in just over a decade.

New research into travel habits across the country revealed that people covered an average of 95 miles by foot last year – a decline of 19 per cent in 14 years.

Around 21 per cent of us go for a stroll exceeding 20 minutes no more than once a year or never at all, according to the study by the Department for Transport.

The number of trips made by bike and the number of miles driven by car has also dropped since the start of the century.

New research into travel habits across the country revealed that people covered an average of 95 miles by foot last year ¿ a decline of 19 per cent in 14 years

New research into travel habits across the country revealed that people covered an average of 95 miles by foot last year – a decline of 19 per cent in 14 years

It is thought the decline is down to the popularity of supermarket shopping.

Large numbers of households now get their groceries and clothing directly to their door, eliminating the need to leave the house.

Charities have warned that air quality could also be a factor, and the government has been urged to invest more money in safe walking routes and cycle paths.

Andy Cope, director of research at walking and cycling charity Sustrans, told The Times it seemed 'incredible that a fifth of people basically don't walk'.

'Air quality is a real problem' 

8 IN 10 BRITS ARE FAT

Eight in ten middle-aged Britons are overweight, inactive or drink too much alcohol, shocking figures revealed in December.

Officials said those in the 40 to 60 age group are neglecting their health because they are too busy worrying about their children, ageing parents or work.

Some 83 per cent have poor lifestyle habits, a major analysis by Public Health England and Oxford University academics found.

This included 63 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men who are overweight, with nearly a third of each sex classified as obese.

Almost a third of women and a quarter of men are inactive, which is defined as doing less than 30 minutes of exercise a week. 

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He said: 'There is a growing concern that the environment is just not conducive to walking. Air quality is a real problem and people just don't like to walk next to a dirty road.'

Joe Irvin, chief executive of the Living Streets charity, said it was recommended that all adults should undertake physical activity for 150 minutes a week to stay healthy.

He warned the 'the vast majority don't achieve that' and said creating safe walking routes could encourage more people out of their cars.

How was the study carried out? 

The national travel survey is an annual study of 17,633 people across 7,328 households. It showed that the number of people taking trips using any mode of transport has fallen in recent years.

Researchers found that people made 774 trips out of the home last year, an average of 15 a week and down 13 per cent compared with 2002.

The car was the most popular mode of transport as the proportion of households without their own vehicle dropped from 38 per cent in the mid- 1980s to under a quarter last year.

Walking was the second most popular method of getting about. 

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