Children vote with their feet

Nearly half of children would like to walk or bike to school more often, according to a survey carried out by specialist child research agency, ChildWise, in partnership with the DfT.

Over 1,000 children in primary and secondary schools across England were questioned as part of the Government's campaign to promote safe and healthy travel to school.  

Children see the school run as a great way to be sociable, with nearly half (47 per cent) saying that meeting up and talking to friends is the best thing about walking or biking to school. Nearly a third of children (29 per cent) think it's a great way of getting some exercise and just over one fifth (22 per cent) like getting some fresh air or sunshine on the journey. Almost six in 10 of the children questioned walk to school on most days. For those children that travel by car, 77 per cent says the journey takes the same amount of time as walking.  

Stuart Biddle , professor of exercise & sport psychology, Loughborough University said: "Building exercise into your day is all-important, especially for children. Even leaving the car at home and walking half an hour a day is going to benefit them greatly and prepare them well for adulthood. Parents should listen to what their kids want and try to encourage this, wherever possible."

A total of 1088 interviews were conducted by Childwise in 20 schools. Children filled in short self-completion questionnaires. Further information is available at: www.dft.gov.uk