Every Vote Counts

Why We Do It

Evidence tells us that there continues to be a great need for our work. This helps us to consider how we might grow the reach and impact of our work further, by targeting our activities to those in greatest need.

We need to do this because:

• 2.2m children and young people in England do less than 30 minutes of activity a day.
• 26% of young disabled people say they can take part in sport and activity at school all of the time, compared to 38% of non-disabled people.
• 46% of girls are less likely to be active than boys (52%), and the gender gap is widest between boys and girls from Asian, Black and other ethnic groups. 
• 39% of young people from a low socio-economic background said “can’t afford it” is the barrier that stops or makes it difficult for them to take part in sport and physical activity.
• 13% of young people surveyed as part of the Youth Sport Trust Class of 2035 research reported that they worry about their mental health. Young people were significantly more likely to report this if they were disabled or had a low sense of belonging to school.
• 45% of children and young people from the least affluent families are the least likely to be active, compared to 57% of those from the most affluent backgrounds.

References: Active Lives Children and Young People Survey - Academic year 2024-25; Play, move, belong: Active futures for young disabled people research report Nov 2025; Youth Sport Trust - PE and School Sport - The Annual Report (2024 and 2025)