64% of all girls enjoy PE, compared to 86% of boys, survey finds

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17th November 2023 18:49 - Sport, Leisure and Tourism

A recent survey has found that only 64% of all girls enjoy PE, compared to 86% of all boys: A recent survey by Youth Sport Trust has found that only 64% of all girls enjoy PE at school, compared to 86% of boys. This figure is even lower for secondary school girls, with only 59% of girls at secondary school saying they enjoy PE.

The survey was conducted by Youth Sport Trust who have been conducting the research annually since 2016. Over 18,500 girls aged between 7-18 participated in the annual survey, which revealed the proportion of girls enjoying PE is falling. In 2016, 74% of all girls enjoyed PE, representing a 10% drop in the past seven years.

Further findings highlighted that 64% of girls want to be more active in school. However, barriers are preventing this, including having their period and lacking confidence. Three in 10 girls said they lack confidence, making it the most common barrier, followed by 29% who said having their period is the greatest barrier to being active. Other barriers cited included worrying about how they look (26%) and being watched by others (28%).

Motivators:

In terms of motivators, ‘having fun’ was the most popular motivator for girls being active at school, cited by almost two-thirds of the girls who took part (65%). Closely behind this was ‘being with friends’, which 62% voted for. Other motivators included ‘getting fit and healthy’, ‘being outside’ and ‘getting better at sports’.

An additional key finding from the report is that over half (56%) of the girls who participated in the annual survey said they would like to have more PE kit options to choose from.

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