A Shocking Number Of Maltese People Said They Never Exercise Or Play Sport
If you’ve ever had to fill in a questionnaire that asked about your exercising habits and you found yourself bashfully ticking “Never”, it turns out you’re definitely not alone. According to a report unveiled during the annual EU Sport Forum yesterday, 56% of Maltese people never exercise or play sport.
That’s over half the country, and yes; never.
Even though this might initially seem like a shocking statistic (and don’t get us wrong, it is), it turns out that Malta is one of six European countries which have shown significant improvement since the last Eurobarometer on sport and physical activity.
Back in 2014, the Eurobarometer had found that Malta was the second worst-performing country when it came to exercise and sport, with a staggering 75% of people having never engaged in any similar physical activity. Malta was only second to Bulgaria’s 78%, trailing far ahead of Portugal’s 64%.
This year, Malta joined the ranks of Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland, Cyprus and Bulgaria when it came to improvement. Bulgaria remained at the top of the list (now sitting at 68%), while Malta dropped down to seventh place. However, as pictured in the official figure, we’ve still managed to make it to the fourth, most worrying tier of the legend.
Scandinavian countries continued to dominate the stats when it came to exercise and sport, with Finland, Sweden and Denmark leading the fray with an impressive 13%, 15% and 20% of the population having never engaged in such physical activity before.
When all of the countries’ statistics are brought together and averages are calculated, however, the results are worrying. Four years down the road, the proportion of people who say they never exercise or play sport has slightly increased from 42% to 46% Europe-wide… a continuation of a gradual trend since 2009.
“The new figures show how vitally important it is to continue our efforts to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles,” Commissioner for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Tibor Navracsics said. “I strongly encourage all actors, from public authorities to sports organisations, to intensify their efforts and work together.”
The Eurobarometer survey was carried out in the 28 member states in the first week of December 2017. Around 28,000 respondents from different social and population groups took part in the poll, which had been carried out before in 2002, 2009 and 2013.
The main motivations for participation in sport or physical activity were confirmed to be fitness (47%) and improved health (54%). As far as the principal barrier went, it was lack of time (40%).
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