Leipzig on the move: The majority do sport regularly
Sport is an integral part of everyday life for many Leipzig residents: around 70 percent of the population between the ages of 18 and 85 engage in physical activity at least once a week - be it jogging, cycling or going to the gym. These figures emerge from the latest citizen survey, the results of which have now been published by the Office for Statistics and Elections.
Leipzig's women are particularly active: Around one in ten - 10 percent of men and 11 percent of women to be precise - say they do sport every day. A further 38 percent of men and 36 percent of women exercise several times a week. Only 10 percent of those surveyed do not exercise at all.
There is a remarkable correlation between regular exercise and general life satisfaction - those who exercise regularly often feel better. However, sporting activity tends to decrease with age - especially among men. Women, on the other hand, often use retirement to start exercising again.
There are also differences depending on income and residential area: people with higher incomes exercise significantly more often. In contrast, the proportion of regularly active people is significantly lower in suburban areas.
Only 18 percent of Leipzig's adults are organized in a traditional sports club. Many rely on self-determined alternatives: a third use commercial offers such as fitness studios or yoga centers. Self-organized outdoor sports - such as jogging or calisthenics in the park - are particularly popular in the age group between 30 and 50.
Mobility style also plays a role: those who mainly use a bicycle are more active than average. A full 88 percent of cyclists do sport regularly. Cycling is at the top of the popularity scale, followed by jogging and strength and fitness sports.
Despite this positive trend, there are also critical voices: Satisfaction with the sports infrastructure is mixed. There is a lack of sufficiently large gyms, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, particularly on the outskirts of cities. While indoor swimming pools still score quite well in the assessment, many Leipzig residents would like to see better sports facilities overall - both in terms of accessibility and condition.
The full report with all the details of the study can be viewed and downloaded online at leipzig.de/statistik in the urban society analyses section.
