Active People Survey

[PKJ]

http://www.sportengland.org/061206_spor ... _final.pdf

Well, orienteering isn't in the top 74, unlike Frisbee & Snowboarding. How would it compare (survey is England only, 16+)?
I know it must be on the BOF website somewhere, but....

[Adventure Racer]

Surprised by 18, as I thought that was supposed to be the most popular participation sport. Also noting the relative positions of 48 and 64, I imagine a lot of people said they were doing 48 when they were actually doing 64.

[FromTheGrassyKnoll]

I must mix with a lazy bunch of people because I don't think anywhere near 13.8% of them swim every month.

[Jon Brooke]

The BBC website has stuff about this report too (I guess - or big coincidence), but their focus has been on identifying sloth by region:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6220358.stm

They also revela that the poll cost £6m - money well spent eh? But as the policy wonks are apt to say, "if you can't measure it you can't improve it" which as we all know is so so true.

In any case I just don't beleive this report - American football at 57?

[drobin]

Doesn't that just mean that none of the 363,724 people interviewed were orienteers? (or wrestlers, or ballroom dancers or rollerball fanatics or . . )

[Knee Deep Mud!]

Doesn't that just mean that none of the 363,724 people interviewed were orienteers?

or possibly like me, most orienteers, when faced by someone cold calling to do a 'survey' either tell them where to go, or alternatively if it sounds like they're calling from a call centre, just leave the phone off the hook and let them run up a nice phone bill - quite a few of the auto dial phone systems these places have can't hang up from their end or move on to the next call. Cheers you up no end when you get back from an evening out to find they are still on the end of the line....!!!

[Jayne]

There's some strange definitions going on. I'm not sure why cycling has to be "primarily for recreational purposes". Surely if you're cycling 30mins to work everyday it's still exercise/sport?

Also, participation at least once per month doesn't really work for things a bit more seasonal, like snowboarding for example. Most people I know who board will do lots in the winter but then very little the rest of the year.

[mharky]

It's all rubbish, and means nothing.

[Red Adder]

Even the briefest glance suggests that the survey is as accurate and useful as the management consultant report that the BO(F) gonks blew a useful VAT rebate on a few years ago.

[ColinL]

With a survey of over 300,000 people the results should be pretty accurate. With just 9000 paid-up orienteers in the country it's not a surprise that we are off the bottom of the scale.

Some of the other results look surprising but I suspect reflect the reality that orienteering is even more a minority activity than we might imagine. Archery for example has around 25,000 paid-up members and 1100 clubs in the UK.