MultiSport Index 2022: physical activity of Poles after two years of the pandemic

05 maja 2022

According to the latest edition of the MultiSport Index 2022 survey, 65% of Poles currently declare that they undertake physical activity at least once a month but only two out of five fulfil the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations in this regard. Those who exercise most often are young people, mainly men, and working people from cities with more than 200,000 residents. A strong representation of active Poles can also be found among the residents of the capital. For the first time in the history of the survey, mental health has become the main motivation for Poles to be active.

Two years of the pandemic, recurring restrictions, including the closure of sports facilities, social isolation, and often non-ergonomic working conditions at home had an impact on the level of physical activity of Poles and above all on their health. According to the MultiSport Index 2022 survey, two out of three adult Poles (65%) currently undertake physical activity at least once a month, which means a decrease by 3 % compared to the previous year’s data (68%) and at the same time a return to the value from before the pandemic.

Sport is most often practised by young people: 78% of the 18-24 age group are active. Considering other demographic factors, the most active are those who work (70%), earn at least PLN 5,000 net (78%) and live in cities with over 200,000 resident (75%).

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Walks and return to sports facilities

During the pandemic, the group of walkers increased significantly (+7% compared to 2021). Walking is currently the most popular activity (32%), replacing cycling, which has been in the first place for years and is now practised by 31% of physically active Poles (a decrease by 3% compared to 2021). Currently, one in three fans of two wheels uses a bicycle as means of transport. Interest in swimming has returned to a level close to what it was before the pandemic (16%, which means an increase by 8% compared to 2021). After 11 months of sports and recreational facilities being closed, every one in five physically active Pole now chooses to train in fitness clubs (20%, which means an increase by 8%). It is the activity undertaken in fitness clubs, gyms and swimming pools that saw the greatest increase in popularity compared to 2021.

Motivations: activity mainly to support the psyche

Before the outbreak of the pandemic, the greatest motivator to take up physical activity was the need to support physical health. Such a motivation was reported by as many as 47% of physically active Poles. In the first year of the pandemic, there was a change due to excessive stress, back problems, or weight gain. It was then that all motivations regarding health (23%), wellbeing (24%) and body shape (23%) became equally important [1] in the context of physical activity. Today, along with the growing scale of mental health problems, physical activity becomes an important element in caring for mental wellbeing for 42% of Poles. This motivator is especially visible among people over 30 years of age and is dominant among 40-year-olds. The perception of physical activity as a form of prophylaxis is gaining importance among people aged 25 to 30, becoming the main motivation to exercise for Poles over 60.

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Three out of five Poles do not fulfil the WHO recommendations

The MultiSport Index 2022 data also shows that only two out of five (41%) adult Poles meet the basic recommendations of the World Health Organisation, engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intense physical activity a week.

– This is a worrying result, the more so as we cannot be sure whether the declarations reflect the actual situation. Additionally, it is worth remembering that there are different types of physical activity. For 13% of physically active Poles, the only form of exercise is walking, which is usually not sufficient to effectively fulfil the WHO recommendations and cause beneficial changes for health – emphasises Dr. Ernest Kuchar, sports medicine and infectious diseases specialist at the Medical University of Warsaw.

Currently, 28% of physically active Poles admit that they would like to exercise more often. Such a declaration is also made by 35% of people aged 18-64 who do not meet the WHO recommendations. In Poland, the largest group of physically inactive Poles are still people over 55 (43%), earning PLN 1,000-2,000 net (49%) and working standing (45%).

Not everyone persevered in changing their habits

Last year, physical activity of the society decreased from 68% to 65%, which is the same level as before the pandemic. The results of the MultiSport Index survey show that among people who gave up physical activity as many as 2% (half a million) are Poles who practised sports between one and three times a month. According to experts, the pandemic verified the attitude of the least active residents of Poland.

– It can be assumed that due to too rarely undertaken activity these people did not have the opportunity to feel the positive impact of regular exercise on their physical and mental condition and they did not manage to develop a habit in this regard. It’s worth realising that developing a healthy habit – such as regular training – is a process that, according to studies, can take anywhere between 18 and 254 days. To stay on this path, it may be helpful to look for a sport that we enjoy and to use the method of small steps. It is also worth approaching sport as an investment in health “for the future” and, especially at the beginning, not to set oneself high goals – says Mateusz Banaszkiewicz, health psychologist from SWPS University.

Popularisation of sport in Poland

The promoters of physical activity among Poles are primarily sportsmen and people from the immediate vicinity. Nevertheless, one in four (25%) professionally active adults indicates that the promotion of physical activity is influenced by employers who offer non-financial benefits in the field of sports and recreation, such as the MultiSport card.

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The survey also showed the importance of sports cards offered by employers for the frequency and regularity of exercise. – Currently, 940,000 people use the MultiSport card in Poland.[2] We know from research that 91% of the card users treat this benefit as an important element in the employment offer. It also has a real impact on the level of physical activity: 99% of our users are physically active at least once a month, which is an increase by 34% compared to the level of physical activity of the whole society. The benefits of promoting physical activity through a sports card are mutual: systematic exercises have a beneficial effect on the psychophysical condition, contribute to increasing productivity, improve concentration and commitment of employees, and consequently positively affect the organisation and its results, reducing the number of sick leaves and employee turnover – sums up Emilia Rogalewicz, Management Board Member at Benefit Systems.

[1] MultiSport Index 2020: https://biuroprasowe.benefitsystems.pl/137731-multisport-index-2020-73-proc-aktywnych-fizycznie-polakow-chce-uprawiac-sport-niezaleznie-od-rozwoju-pandemii [2] https://www.benefitsystems.pl/dla-inwestora/artykul/rb-152022-informacja-kwartalna-o-liczbie-aktywnych-kart-sportowych/

Sandra Dobrowolska

Senior PR Specialist Benefit Systems

797 294 243

MultiSport Index to pierwsze w Polsce kompleksowe badanie aktywności fizycznej (wysiłek podejmowany minimum raz w miesiącu) oraz sportowej (regularny wysiłek fizyczny podejmowany minimum raz w tygodniu) Polaków. Badanie prowadzone jest na zlecenie Benefit Systems i każdorazowo wzbogacane jest o część specjalną, która w tym roku obejmuje wpływ pandemii i aktywności fizycznej na zdrowie i samopoczucie Polaków. Badanie Multisport Index 2022 zostało przeprowadzone przez Kantar przy współpracy z firmą badawczą Minds&Roses w dniach 14-24 listopada 2021 r. na reprezentatywnej, losowej próbie 1 400 Polaków powyżej 18. roku życia z wykorzystaniem techniki wywiadu telefonicznego wspomaganego komputerowo (CATI).

MultiSport to program oferowany w ramach świadczeń pozapłacowych. Umożliwia pracownikom firm (i ich bliskim) korzystanie z ponad 25 dyscyplin sportowych w blisko 4,5 tys. obiektach sportowo-rekreacyjnych zlokalizowanych w 650 miastach Polski. Z karty MultiSport korzysta ponad milion użytkowników w Polsce i za granicą – w Czechach, Bułgarii, Chorwacji i na Słowacji. Od 2021 r. Program rozwijany jest także na rynku tureckim. Misją MultiSport jest aktywizacja ruchowa wszystkich pokoleń, a także budowanie świadomości w zakresie zdrowego i aktywnego stylu życia. Więcej informacji na temat Programu MultiSport odnaleźć można na stronie www.kartamultisport.pl.

Benefit Systems działa na polskim rynku od ponad dwóch dekad i należy do liderów w dostarczaniu benefitów pozapłacowych, które wspierają dobrostan pracowników. Spółka jest twórcą Programu MultiSport, który umożliwia podejmowanie aktywności fizycznej w obiektach sportowych w całym kraju. W portfolio Benefit Systems jest także platforma kafeteryjna MyBenefit z modułem grywalizacyjnym MyBenefit Active, a także program wellbeingowy MultiLife, który odpowiada kompleksowo na potrzeby związane ze zdrowym i aktywnym stylem życia pracowników. Od kilku lat oferta sportowa Spółki jest rozwijana na rynkach zagranicznych, m.in. w Czechach, na Słowacji, w Bułgarii czy Chorwacji. Ważnym obszarem działań Benefit Systems jest promowanie aktywnego stylu życia na każdym jego etapie, dlatego Spółka realizuje inicjatywy wspierające aktywność fizyczną dzieci, dorosłych oraz seniorów. Od 2018 roku Benefit Systems jest częścią globalnej inicjatywy B Corp, zrzeszającej spółki angażujące się w rozwiązywanie najważniejszych problemów społecznych. Więcej informacji o firmie można znaleźć na www.benefitsystems.pl