Fear of judgement prevents half of the nation from exercising

A new study commissioned by Sure reveals that three quarters of UK adults have something that stops them from getting out and moving, a figure that increases for those aged 18-22 (91%) and those with disabilities in the UK (81%).  

The research uncovered that the top barrier to movement is fear of judgement (53%), with other reasons including feeling self-conscious exercising in front of others (46%), feeling uncomfortable wearing gym or sports clothes (38%), not feeling comfortable in their own body (29%) and thinking they are too old to exercise (19%).  

Barriers to movement

These barriers to movement increase for those with disabilities in the UK, with 58% of those polled noting that fear of judgement stops them from moving. This is despite nearly one in five working UK adults currently living with a disability.  

Furthermore, the research revealed almost half (48%) of UK adults do not feel represented by sports advertising, athletes on TV and on social media - increasing to 53% for those with disabilities. Alongside this, three in five adults (60%) believe that society has a narrow view of what a “mover” looks like, with more than half of adults (53%) stating that these stereotypes make exercising difficult for those who don’t meet these standards.