Research by YouGov has found that enjoyment is the key reason that people cycle.
In light of Bike Week, running from the 16th-24th of June to nationally promote cycling, our report surveyed a nationally represented sample of UK consumers and also a sample of consumers who previously claimed they either ‘follow and participate’ or ‘don’t follow but participate’ the sport of cycling. See the results for different motivations for cycling in the chart below:
While enjoyment and keeping fit are the key motivations for both groups, the cyclists group displays the greatest agreement. This follows with all the statements.
The cyclists are nearly twice as likely to be switched on by environmental reasons as the nationally representative group, while the stress-relieving benefits of cycling and the ability to avoid congestion have little resonance with the nationally representative group. However, when it comes to saving money on transport and petrol, the nationally representative group shows a greater appreciation, though still less than the cyclists.
The Cycle to Work scheme on its own shows little motivation for respondents in both groups. It is clear that the desire to cycle must already be in place before consumers take advantage of this scheme.
Commenting on the findings YouGov SixthSense Research Director James McCoy said:
“While the tangible benefits of cycling, such as saving money, are acknowledged by the nationally representative group as motivations to cycle, it is clear that more could be done to promote the more ethereal aspects such as stress relief. Here, campaigns to encourage employees to try commuting by bicycle, say, for just a week would be ideal.
YouGov SixthSense commissioned a survey among its panel drawing on a nationally representative sample of 2,114 UK adults aged 16+. A further 1,176 respondents were drawn from those who had previously claimed they either ‘follow and participate’ or ‘don’t follow but participate’ the sport of cycling. Field work was conducted 5-7 December 2011.
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