Publication of Cycling In Northern Ireland 2017/2018

Date published: 28 February 2019

This report, produced by the Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB) of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), presents findings from the 2017/2018 Continuous Household Survey (CHS). The publication is available on the ASRB website at:

• Walking and cycling research

Key points

Bicycle Ownership

• 36% of respondents had access to a bicycle – this comprises 32% who owned a bicycle, with another 3% reporting they had access to a bicycle owned by someone else. The 36% reported in 2017/18 is greater than the 32% reported in 2016/2017.
• Male respondents (39%) were more likely to own a bicycle than female respondents (24%).
• Respondents from a rural area (34%) were more likely than those from an urban area (30%) to own a bicycle.
• Respondents living in the least-deprived areas (40%) were more likely to own a bicycle than those living in most-deprived areas (22%).

Whether cycled in the last four weeks

• Of the 910 respondents who had access to a bicycle in 2017/2018, 27% had cycled in the last 4 weeks. This is not significantly different to the proportion reported in 2016/2017.
• Male respondents (34%) were more likely than female respondents (18%) to have cycled in the last four weeks.
• Those in urban areas (31%) were more likely than those in rural areas (21%) to have cycled in the last 4 weeks.

Frequency of cycling

• Of the 234 respondents who had cycled in the last 4 weeks, 36% cycled at least once a fortnight, 23% cycled at least once a week, 18% cycled 2-4 days a week, 14% cycled once every 4 weeks, and 8% cycled 5-7 days a week.

Reasons for cycling

• The most popular reasons stated by respondents for cycling were for exercise (83%) and for enjoyment (74%).
• Fewer than three-in-ten respondents chose any of the other reasons for cycling: 29% stated that ‘it is a cheap way to travel (there are no costs for fuel, car parking or bus/ train fares)’; 26% said ‘I find it convenient (I live close to work, education, shops)’; 20% stated they cycle ‘for environmental reasons’; 19% said ‘I have no car’; and a further 19% stated ‘it saves time (e.g. to avoid traffic jams)’.
• Proportions in 2017/18 were not significantly different to 2016/17, with the exception of having no car which increased from 13% in 2016/17 to 19% in 2017/18.

Attitudes to cycling

All respondents were shown four statements, and asked which best describes their attitude to cycling.

• Almost two-thirds (63%) of all respondents were in the ‘No Way No How’ group. Under one-fifth (17%) were in ‘The Interested but Concerned’ group, 15% in ‘The Enthused and the Confident’ group and 4% in ‘The Strong and the Fearless’ group. This latter category was the only group to experience a change from the last survey, increasing from 3% in 2016/17 to 4% in 2017/18.