Irish top European activity league
But top prize goes to Irish women, who outperform the men when it comes to taking part in sport andother leisure pursuits, including dancing, gardening, cycling and walking.
Another surprise is that more people in their 70s play sport and exercise regularly than those in the 15 to 24-year-old age bracket.
Most Irish people say they exercise for the good of their health, to improve their fitness, to lose weight and to relax. Just more than a quarter, however, say they do so for fun.
The fact that double the number of Irish compared to the EU average exercise regularly may be due to good local facilities. Far more Irish people praised them than did eight years ago when last surveyed.
The increase may also be due to the work of local authorities, as the numbers defending their contribution was also well up on previous years. Even so, about half those asked said they don’t have time to take advantage of the facilities. Time is the biggest reason given by Irish people for not taking part.
A sizeable one in seven (14%) also help out voluntarily, double the EU average, but less than more energetic nationalities such as Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark.
The least active countries tend to be the Mediterranean and central and eastern Europe states. Only 3% of the Bulgarians, Italians and Greeks say they play sport regularly, and just 7% of Italians exercise regularly.
Being stars on the world football stage does not appear to inspire people to be more exercise-conscious.
In Poland, 66% say they never play sport despite their imminent co-hosting of the European soccer championships in 2012. And an astonishing almost seven in 10 Italians (67%) say they never play sport or take any other form of exercise.
The findings will be used in a proposal being drawn up by European Commissioner for Sport, Androulla Vassiliou, to encourage and support more exercise among citizens.
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