[Sport] Disabled people missing out on sports due to rising cost

[NANO]

The rising cost of living has impacted the participation of the disabled community in playing sports.

The Annual Disability and Activity Survey 2022-2023 indicated that financial barriers impacted disabled people’s activity levels, with four in 10 (37%) reporting the cost-of-living crisis affected how active they were compared to three in 10 (32%) of non-disabled people. 

For the record, 2,000 disabled and non-disabled individuals aged 16 and above were surveyed. 

The responses also showed that disabled people’s mental health and wellbeing were being disproportionately affected.

Disabled people were nearly three times more likely than non-disabled people to feel lonely always or often (23% versus 8%).

There were also worrying signs of an increase in loneliness for disabled people over the last four years compared to decreasing levels of loneliness for non-disabled people. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, disabled people were more likely to feel isolated (54% versus 30%), yet nearly two-thirds of disabled people who felt lonely agreed that being active could help them feel less lonely (65%).

Nearly two-thirds of disabled people (64%) said the the UK government should focus on making activities affordable to help more people to be active. 

Following was the report

Annual Disability and Activity Survey 2022-23

Activity Alliance releases its fourth Annual Disability and Activity Survey report for 2022-23. The survey is the primary source of insight for organisations working to achieve fairness for disabled people in sport and activity.  

This year’s results show we are not seeing enough positive trends in disabled people’s perceptions and experiences of being active. Greater effort is needed to tackle inequalities that affect disabled people, especially to reduce loneliness and the impact of the rising cost of living.

The survey was conducted by IFF Research. 998 disabled people and 976 non-disabled people aged 16+ took part. 28 disabled people also took part in a series of online workshops to discuss the findings and explore ideas for action. This survey complements Sport England’s Active Lives Adult Survey. It provides greater detail on issues of importance to disabled people.

The report findings are split into seven themes. These were developed based on discussion with disabled people, and feedback from organisations that deliver and promote activity. Each theme outlines Activity Alliance’s commitment and our ask to the sport and activity sector. The themes are:

Participation and experience

Physical health and healthcare professionals

The rising cost-of-living

Mental health and wellbeing

Representation

Co-production and influence

Outdoor spaces and active travel.

Key findings:

Disabled people were more likely to say they wanted to be more active compared to non-disabled people (77% vs 54%). This “activity gap” has remained consistent in previous years, showing an ongoing unmet need.

Four in ten disabled people (37%) said the cost-of-living crisis has affected how active they are, versus three in ten non-disabled people (32%).

Six in ten disabled people (60%) also reported that the increase in cost of living has reduced how much they socialise.

There is a clear spending gap for what disabled people are spending and want to spend on physical activity. Disabled people reported spending an average of £13.40 less than non-disabled people in being active each month. Disabled people want to spend more than non-disabled people on being active (34% vs 27%), whereas non-disabled people were more likely to want to spend less (27% vs 19%).

However – many disabled people fear that being more active will result in their benefits or financial assistance being removed (37%).

Almost two-thirds (64%) of disabled people said the government should focus on making activities affordable to help more people to be active.

Disabled people are nearly three times more likely than non-disabled people to feel lonely always or often (23% vs 8%).

Over the last four years, there has been an upward trend in disabled people feeling lonelier, while non-disabled people reported steady or decreasing levels of loneliness. Since the start of the pandemic, disabled people were more likely to feel isolated (54% vs 30%).

Nearly two-thirds of disabled people who felt lonely agreed that being active could help them feel less lonely (65%).

Disabled people were also significantly less likely to report high satisfaction with their life (5% vs 17%).

Younger disabled people and people with five or more impairments were most likely to say the cost-of-living crisis has reduced how active they are (58% and 56%) and how much they socialise (74% and 75%).

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