National Travel Attitudes Study (NTAS) Wave 9: Cycling
Published 18 January 2024
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About this release
The National Travel Attitudes Study (NTAS) is an online and telephone survey which gathers responses from individuals aged 16 and over in England, drawn from people who have previously responded to the National Travel Survey (NTS).
This release covers Wave 9 of the NTAS, which collected responses from 2,011 individuals between August and September 2023. It is focused on attitudes to zero-emission buses, bus fare caps and bus services, as well as encouragements and barriers to cycling, and attitudes to public electric vehicle charge points.
An ODS table for NTAS wave 9 results is available, containing the underlying data for the questions from the survey.
These are official statistics. For more information, see the About these statistics section in NTAS Wave 9: Methodology and background notes.
Headline figures
In NTAS Wave 9 (2023):
-
seven out of 10 people say they never ride a bicycle
-
safer roads were the most popular factor that would encourage people to cycle more, chosen by 61% of all respondents, followed by well-maintained road surfaces (51% of all respondents)
-
safety concerns were cited as the main reason people are discouraged from cycling (48% of respondents), followed by poor weather (36% of respondents) and living too far away from where they need to get to (33% of respondents)
Attitudes towards cycling
The questions in this section cover ownership and use of bicycles, the use of rental bicycle services and e-bicycles, as well as barriers and encouragements to the use of bicycles.
For additional data, statistics and analysis related to active travel such as walking or cycling, please consult the Department for Transport walking and cycling statistics, as well as the main National Travel Survey statistics.
Bicycle ownership
Of all respondents to the NTAS wave 9, 39% of people aged 16 and over own a bicycle or have regular access to one. This is in line with findings from the main NTS. The 2022 Walking and Cycling statistics release shows that 43% of people aged 5 and over own, or have access to, a bicycle.
Middle-aged individuals between the ages of 40 and 59 were most likely to have regular use of a bicycle (48%). This contrasts with those aged 70 or more (16%). Access to a bicycle is also dependent on household income, only 25% of individuals in households with an income with £14,999 or less per year had regular access to a bicycle, compared with half of people in households with £50,000 or more in income.
Chart 1: Percentage of respondents that have regular access to a bicycle by age
| Age | Have regular use of a bicycle | Have no regular use of a bicycle | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 39 | 43 | 57 | 0 | 100 |
| 40 to 59 | 48 | 52 | 0 | 100 |
| 60 to 69 | 39 | 61 | 0 | 100 |
| 70 or more | 16 | 84 | 0 | 100 |
| All ages | 39 | 61 | 0 | 100 |
Chart 2: Percentage of respondents that have regular access to a bicycle by household income
| Household income | Have regular use of a bicycle | Have no regular use of a bicycle | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £14,999 | 25 | 75 | 0 | 100 |
| £15,000 to £34,999 | 35 | 65 | 0 | 100 |
| £35,000 to £49,999 | 48 | 53 | 0 | 100 |
| £50,000 or more | 50 | 50 | 0 | 100 |
| All household income bands | 40 | 60 | 0 | 100 |
This excludes individuals where the household income is not known.
Use of bicycles, and bicycle rental services
A majority (70%) of respondents say that in an average week, they never travel via cycling, but 18% travel by cycling at least once per month. This is in proportion to the results of the Active Lives Survey collected by Sport England which reported that 13% of adults cycle at least once per month for any purpose .
Respondents were also asked how confident they feel when riding a bicycle. A total of 56% said they were either fairly confident or very confident, compared with 36% who said they were not very confident, or at all confident. Only 7% said they had never ridden a bicycle before.
Chart 3: How confident people feel when riding a bicycle, by age (percentage)
| Age | Very confident | Fairly confident | Not very confident | Not at all confident | I have never ridden a bicycle before | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 39 | 28 | 40 | 15 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 100 |
| 40 to 59 | 27 | 37 | 14 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 100 |
| 60 to 69 | 20 | 29 | 22 | 23 | 6 | 0 | 100 |
| 70 or more | 12 | 17 | 19 | 37 | 14 | 1 | 100 |
| All ages | 23 | 33 | 17 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 100 |
Individuals who rated themselves as either very or fairly confident take more cycling trips than those who rate themselves as either not very confident, or not at all confident.
Chart 4: Cycling measures, by the confidence of the cyclist (NTAS respondents)
| Measure | Confident when riding a bicycle | Not confident when riding a bicycle | All NTAS respondents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average number of trips per person per year | 34 | 2 | 15 |
| Average number of stages per person per year | 36 | 2 | 16 |
| Average miles per person per year | 168 | 4 | 57 |
| Average trip length (miles) | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Average hours spent travelling per person per year | 18 | 2 | 6 |
| Average trip duration (minutes) | 31 | 24 | 24 |
Respondents were also asked if they had used an e-bike rental scheme. Such a scheme had never been used by 93% of respondents, with 2% having made use of this at least monthly.
Encouragements to cycle more
Respondents were asked about what would encourage them to cycle, or to cycle more.
Firstly, they were asked if the introduction of cycle lanes in the local area would encourage them to cycle, or cycle more. 29% said it was likely it would encourage them, and 44% said it was not likely. 10% said their area already had enough cycle lanes.
Respondents living in urban areas were no more likely than respondents as a whole to be encouraged to cycle, or cycle more, by the introduction of new cycle lanes. This is shown in chart 5 below.
Chart 5: Percentage of respondents who would be encouraged to cycle, or cycle more, if more cycle lanes were introduced in their area, by rural-urban breakdown
| Type of region | Likely | Uncertain | Unlikely | My area already has enough cycle lanes | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 30 | 16 | 42 | 12 | 0 | 100 |
| Rural | 28 | 15 | 53 | 4 | 1 | 100 |
| All regions | 29 | 16 | 44 | 11 | 0 | 100 |
Respondents were presented with a series of options, and asked to say if those would encourage them to cycle, or cycle more.
Safer roads were cited as the factor that would encourage the largest proportion of people to cycle, or cycle more, with 61% of people choosing this option. This was very popular for those aged under 60 years old, with 66% of those aged between 16 and 39 saying yes, and 67% of those aged 40 to 59 years old. This was especially popular for those who own or have regular access to a bicycle; 71% of respondents who have regular use to a bicycle would be encouraged by safer roads, compared to 55% of those who do not.
Younger people (aged 16 to 39) were generally encouraged by all of the factors mentioned, compared to all respondents in England as a whole. Two of these, ‘well maintained road surfaces for cycling’ and ‘visible signposting of low-traffic cycle routes’ were still rated more positively than the average respondent, but only marginally so. By contrast, those aged 70 or over were less likely to be encouraged by any measure than the average respondent.
Males were generally more likely than females to say that different factors would encourage them to cycle, or cycle more. This is most notable when considering well maintained road surfaces for cycling, where 57% of males said this would be an encouragement compared to 47% of females. Conversely, 17% of females said that cycling training to teach them how to cycle, or increase their confidence, would encourage them to cycle or cycle more, and this is compared to 10% of males.
Chart 6: Percentage of people selecting factors that would encourage them to cycle, or cycle more, by sex
| Encouragement | Male | Female | All respondents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safer roads | 62 | 60 | 61 |
| Off-road and segregated cycle paths | 54 | 51 | 52 |
| Well-maintained road surfaces for cycling | 57 | 47 | 51 |
| More direct cycle routes | 42 | 41 | 41 |
| Raise awareness of local cycle routes | 32 | 30 | 31 |
| Secure storage or parking at work or home | 33 | 27 | 29 |
| Cheaper bicycles available to buy | 29 | 26 | 27 |
| Visible signposting of low-traffic cycle routes | 29 | 25 | 27 |
| Access to showers or changing facilities at work | 20 | 16 | 18 |
| Cheaper bicycles to hire | 16 | 17 | 17 |
| Cycle maintenance or repair courses | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Training to help me ride a bike or increase my confidence | 10 | 17 | 14 |
| Better bicycle hire facilities | 11 | 12 | 12 |
When we consider whether the individual already cycles, then females who cycle at least annually are more likely than males to be encouraged to cycle more by safer roads (78%, compared to 69% of males), and by off-road and segregated cycle paths (76%, compared to 63% of males). More males continue to be encouraged by well-maintained road surfaces for cycling (70%, compared to 63% of females). In all three of the factors mentioned here, the percentage of respondents who don’t cycle at least annually who say that this would encourage them to cycle is broadly comparable between males and females. This suggests that the experience and frequency of cycling has an influence on which factors would encourage them. For comparison, in the 2022 National Travel Survey publication, males made substantially more cycling trips on average and also cycled a longer distance than females. On average, males made 23 cycling trips and travelled 89 miles compared to females who made 8 cycling trips and travelled 25 miles.
Table 1: Percentage of people selecting factors that would encourage them to cycle more, by sex and whether the individual cycles (at least annually)
| Encouragement | Male: Cycles | Male: Does not cycle | Female: Cycles | Female: Does not cycle | All respondents: Cycles | All respondents: Does not cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safer roads | 69 | 57 | 78 | 56 | 72 | 56 |
| Off-road and segregated cycle paths | 63 | 48 | 76 | 44 | 68 | 46 |
| More direct cycle routes | 51 | 35 | 61 | 36 | 55 | 36 |
| Raise awareness of local cycle routes | 41 | 26 | 37 | 28 | 40 | 27 |
| Secure storage or parking at work or home | 42 | 26 | 38 | 24 | 41 | 25 |
| Access to showers or changing facilities at work | 29 | 14 | 24 | 14 | 27 | 14 |
| Well-maintained road surfaces for cycling | 70 | 47 | 63 | 43 | 68 | 45 |
| Visible signposting of low-traffic cycle routes | 37 | 23 | 36 | 23 | 37 | 23 |
| Training to help me ride a bike or increase my confidence | 8 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 10 | 15 |
| Cycle maintenance or repair courses | 19 | 10 | 20 | 12 | 19 | 12 |
| Better bicycle hire facilities | 14 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 11 |
| Cheaper bicycles to hire | 19 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
| Cheaper bicycles available to buy | 30 | 29 | 22 | 27 | 27 | 28 |
Chart 7: Percentage of people selecting factors that would encourage them to cycle more, by whether they cycle at least annually, and sex (Data can be found in Table 1 above)
In the National Travel Survey and especially NTAS, sample sizes for ethnic groups other than white tend to be too small for robust analysis. Therefore, when comparing results by ethnic origin, we combine other ethnic groups into the category of ‘ethnic minorities’. Guidance on writing about ethnicity is available.
The ethnic group of the respondent appears to be a factor in selecting whether something was an encouragement to cycle more, as shown in Chart 8 below. Respondents from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding white minorities) responded more favourably to every encouragement than respondents as a whole. Individuals from white backgrounds were in particular less likely to be encouraged by cycling training, better bicycle hire facilities, and cheaper bicycles to either hire or buy.
Chart 8: Percentage of respondents who would be encouraged to cycle more, by ethnic group
| Encouragement | White | Ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) | All respondents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safer roads | 59 | 74 | 61 |
| Off-road and segregated cycle paths | 51 | 58 | 52 |
| More direct cycle routes | 40 | 51 | 41 |
| Raise awareness of local cycle routes | 29 | 39 | 31 |
| Secure storage or parking at work or home | 27 | 42 | 30 |
| Access to showers or changing facilities at work | 17 | 27 | 18 |
| Well-maintained road surfaces for cycling | 50 | 59 | 51 |
| Visible signposting of low-traffic cycle routes | 24 | 43 | 27 |
| Training to help me ride a bike or increase my confidence | 11 | 29 | 14 |
| Cycle maintenance or repair courses | 12 | 23 | 14 |
| Better bicycle hire facilities | 9 | 26 | 12 |
| Cheaper bicycles to hire | 13 | 38 | 17 |
| Cheaper bicycles available to buy | 24 | 49 | 27 |
“White” includes white minorities. “Ethnic minorities (including white minorities)” includes all other ethnic backgrounds.
Despite NTAS respondents from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities ) being more likely to cycle “at least annually”, white respondents make more trips and trip stages, and travel further and for longer. Table 2 presents information on cycling trips from the NTS travel diaries of the respondents, recorded when they undertook the NTS survey in 2022, split by the ethnic group of the respondent.
Table 2: Cycling measures, by the ethnic group of the NTAS respondent
| Measure | White | Ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities ) | All respondents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average number of trips per person per year | 21 | 7 | 15 |
| Average number of stages per person per year | 22 | 7 | 16 |
| Average miles per person per year | 101 | 26 | 57 |
| Average trip length (miles) | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Average hours spent travelling per person per year | 11 | 2 | 6 |
| Average trip duration (minutes) | 31 | 18 | 24 |
“White” includes white minorities. “Ethnic minorities (including white minorities)” includes all other ethnic backgrounds.
Reasons why people don’t cycle more, or choose not to cycle more
In NTAS wave 9, respondents were asked about why they choose not to cycle, or don’t cycle more, to which 48% of respondents said this was about safety concerns.
Females were more likely to say they were concerned about safety (51% of females compared to 45% of males), as well as not feeling confident in cycling skills (29% of females compared to 12% of males, 21% of all respondents) and having children, other passengers or too much to carry (32% of females compared to 24% of males, 28% of all respondents).
Individuals aged 16 to 39 years are more likely to say that they don’t cycle, or choose not to cycle more, because of having children, other passengers or too much to carry, compared to those aged 60 and over. This is also the case for those who say they live too far from where they need to get to, and poor weather is an issue. The opposite trend is seen in the case of those in the older age group being more likely to say that they have a health condition which prevents them from cycling, or cycling more, or that cycling isn’t for people like them.
Chart 9: Selected reasons why people do not cycle, or choose not to cycle more, by age
| Reason given | 16 to 39 | 40 to 59 | 60 to 69 | 70 or more | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I have children, other passengers or too much to carry | 40 | 34 | 15 | 8 | 28 |
| I live too far away from where I need to get to | 45 | 37 | 23 | 15 | 33 |
| Poor weather | 48 | 34 | 29 | 23 | 36 |
| The cost of a suitable bicycle | 24 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 16 |
| Cycling is not for people like me | 10 | 7 | 10 | 27 | 12 |
| I have a health condition which prevents me | 4 | 13 | 23 | 35 | 16 |
Just as with the encouragements to cycle more, the ethnic group of the individual appears to be related to reasons for not cycling more, with a larger percentage of people from minority backgrounds citing almost all of the factors as a reason. The only substantive factor where more white respondents agreed than those from ethnic minority backgrounds is “I have a health condition which prevents me from cycling, or cycling more”.
Chart 10: Reasons why people do not cycle, or choose not to cycle more, by ethnic group
| Reasons given | White | Ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am concerned about safety | 45 | 67 | 48 |
| I am not confident in my cycling skills | 20 | 28 | 21 |
| I have children, other passengers or too much to carry | 27 | 36 | 28 |
| I live too far away from where I need to get to | 32 | 39 | 33 |
| Poor weather | 33 | 54 | 36 |
| It’s too hilly in my area | 14 | 18 | 15 |
| The cost of a suitable bicycle | 15 | 26 | 16 |
| Cycling is not for people like me | 11 | 17 | 12 |
| I have a health condition which prevents me | 17 | 6 | 16 |
| None of these | 12 | 4 | 11 |
| Don’t know | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Comparison to NTAS wave 5 results (2021)
Respondents to NTAS wave 5 were also asked about barriers and encouragements to cycling in 2021.
There has been an increase in the number of respondents who would be encouraged by safer roads, from 53% in NTAS wave 5 (2021) to 61% in NTAS wave 9 (2023). Conversely, fewer respondents would be encouraged by visible signposting of low-traffic cycle routes (34% in 2021, to 27% in 2023) and better cycle hire facilities (17% in 2023, to 12% in 2021).
Chart 11: Percentage of respondents who would be encouraged to cycle more, 2021 (NTAS wave 5) and 2023 (NTAS wave 9)
| Encouragement | NTAS Wave 5 (2021) | NTAS Wave 9 (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Safer roads | 53 | 61 |
| Off-road and segregated cycle paths | 55 | 52 |
| Well-maintained road surfaces for cycling | 49 | 51 |
| More direct cycle routes | 43 | 41 |
| Raise awareness of local cycle routes | 36 | 31 |
| Secure storage or parking at work or home | 28 | 29 |
| Cheaper bicycles available to buy | 27 | 27 |
| Visible signposting of low-traffic cycle routes | 34 | 27 |
| Access to showers or changing facilities at work | 16 | 18 |
| Cheaper bicycles to hire | 18 | 17 |
| Cycle maintenance or repair courses | 16 | 14 |
| Training to help me ride a bike or increase my confidence | 12 | 14 |
| Better bicycle hire facilities | 17 | 12 |
Chart 12 below shows that the largest barrier cited by respondents in 2023 as to why they don’t cycle, or cycle more, is concerns over safety. This was chosen by 25% of respondents in NTAS wave 5 (2021) and increased to 48% of respondents in NTAS wave 9 (2023). This was not the largest barrier in 2021 however, as 37% of respondents in 2021 said that health conditions preventing them from cycling, or cycling more, was the biggest barrier.
Chart 12: Percentage of respondents who don’t cycle or don’t cycle more, by the barrier they face, and responses in 2021 (NTAS wave 5) and 2023 (NTAS wave 9)
| Encouragement | NTAS Wave 5 (2021) | NTAS Wave 9 (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| I am concerned about safety | 25 | 48 |
| Poor weather | 18 | 36 |
| I live too far away from where I need to get to | 13 | 33 |
| I have children, other passengers or too much to carry | 11 | 28 |
| I am not confident in my cycling skills | 24 | 21 |
| The cost of a suitable bicycle | 6 | 16 |
| I have a health condition which prevents me | 37 | 16 |
| It’s too hilly in my area | 9 | 15 |
| Cycling is not for people like me | 27 | 12 |
Results for this question split by selected demographic and geographic factors can be found in tab NTAS_9i of the NTAS wave 9 table released alongside this bulletin.
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