The cost of inequality - charity report finds £10.9 billion ‘activity gap’

Activity Alliance has released new research revealing the social value in disabled people being active and the societal cost of inequality. 

On International Day of Disabled People (3 December), the national charity and leading voice issued a call on policy and decision makers to ensure all disabled people feel they belong in sports and activities.

Building on Sport England’s recent report for the whole population, the charity worked with the same experts, State of Life, on a specific assessment of disabled people’s activity. 

It found there is £6,200 social value per disabled person per year if supported to meet the official Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) guidelines of 150 plus minutes a week. 

This works out three to four times’ the value of non-disabled people being active. To give a comparison of size, this figure is almost equivalent to being employed rather than unemployed, which has a social value of £7,000.

Add the figures for active with moderate and light activity for disabled people, it shows the societal cost of inequality equates to at least a £10.9 billion ‘activity gap’.

The figures show helping disabled people to take part in even light activity could make a huge difference, measuring £4,400 per person per year in social value. Whereas light activity does not have the same impact for non-disabled people. 

The charity says this is even more revealing when looking at disabled people’s activity habits as light activity does not officially count towards weekly active minutes in the CMO guidelines.

Currently disabled people or those with long-term health conditions are twice as likely to be physically ‘inactive’ as non-disabled adults (41% vs 21% non-disabled adults, Sport England, Active Lives Adult Survey 2022-23). And only 43% of disabled people feel they have the chance to be as active as they want to be, compared to 69% of non-disabled people (Activity Alliance Annual Disability and Activity Survey 2023/24).

On the same day the charity releases its latest strategy ‘We all belong’, its Honorary President Tanni, Baroness Grey-Thompson said: “We all belong in sports and activities. Yet many disabled children and adults don’t feel they do. At school, in the local park or working out in a nearby gym, we all have the right to welcoming, inclusive, and accessible opportunities.

“The reality is society remains an unfair, unjust place for many disabled people. Every single day there are stories up and down our country of disabled children and adults missing out on the joy that being active can bring. We must not accept this.

“Disabled people must be included in conversations, listened to more, and their feedback acted upon. Policies and systems in our society need to work for and include everybody, not just the privileged few.”

The charity’s new strategy presents a vision of a future where all disabled people feel they belong in sports and activities. It outlines three ambitions to drive change:

Sports and activities meet disabled people’s needs

Disabled people influence campaigning, policy and decision making

Address inequalities by working with others

Adam Blaze, CEO at Activity Alliance, said: “Today we make a rallying call for policy makers and allies to stand with us, take notice and drive meaningful change as we launch our new strategy.

“These latest figures say it all - clearly highlighting there's a huge value in disabled people being active and even by doing small bouts of movement, significantly more than non-disabled people."

He went on to say: "More effort must be given to breaking down the barriers so disabled people feel light activity like walking down the road and playing in local parks is achievable.

“For disabled people to be more active, it takes a wider movement to change systemic barriers that prevent it.Whether in health, transport or education, policy makers play a vital role in ensuring more disabled people feel that they belong.”

Will Watt, State of Life founder, said: "This research builds on our recent work for Sport England, by specifically exploring the wellbeing impact of activity for disabled people. 

"At a time of constrained resources, it is important to invest where you can make the biggest difference. This report makes clear that activity,  even if that is light activity, has the potential to make a very big difference to health and wellbeing in the UK."

To learn more visit https://www.activityalliance.org.uk