New research explores young people’s relationship with physical activity

New research commissioned by Energise Me shows 70% of young people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have positive feelings towards physical activity. Many young people see a correlation between being active and improving their mental health.

Findings show that physical activity plays a positive role in many young people’s lives. Their main reasons for choosing an activity were: a love for the activity itself, how close it was to their home and whether it made them feel good.

However, 48% of young people felt that their activity levels had worsened as a result of the pandemic.

Undertaking the research

In order to truly understand the experiences of young people and listen to their perspectives, we teamed up with Beatfreeks. They surveyed 151 young people and held two focus groups. The groups gave the young people the opportunity to discuss their ideas for increasing engagement in physical activity across their communities.

Although national research has been carried out in similar areas. We wanted to find out about our communities of young people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The pandemic has meant finding ways to stay active has been a significant challenge for young people. We knew it was important to also investigate the effect the pandemic has had.

Uses and aims

This project is part of a broader aim to listen to young people and amplify young peoples voices. Energise Me hopes that we, along with our partners and other local organisations can use the insight uncovered to create physical activity opportunities that meet the needs of the young people living in our area.

The insight will allow us to better understand the barriers young people face when it comes to being active. As well as what young people are looking for in activities. By gaining a better understanding of these factors we can ensure young people’s needs are being met.