New research by Mintel into consumer attitudes towards participating in sports has revealed that fundraising sports events could be a way of boosting activity levels and that people are increasingly opting to keep fit in ways which cost nothing.

A survey of almost 2,000 people found that 24 per cent of British adults have taken part in a sporting event to raise money for charity and a further 14 per cent who have never taken part in such an event before are keen to do so in the future.

One in five (18 per cent) feel that charitable sporting events are a good way to push themselves athletically and achieve personal goals.

“In an era of increased obesity and government encouragement for a healthier nation, more could be done to use fundraising sports events to increase participation in an attempt to improve the general levels of fitness in Britain today,” said Silvia Bartels, consumer insight manager for Mintel.

The most popular form of exercise is swimming, with 20 per cent of British people going at least once a month, while other favourites are keep fit, aerobics and stretch (16 per cent); going to the gym and weight training (15 per cent); hiking and rambling (12 per cent) and cycling (11 per cent).

The research also revealed a trend towards activities which cost nothing to participate in.

The number of people who regularly take exercise but who do not pay membership or entry fees has risen to 39 per cent from 34 per cent in 1998 and only 20 per cent pay more than £200 a year to keep fit.

“While more consumers are playing sport regularly, an increasing proportion are opting for activities that cost nothing to take part in,” said Bartels. “Clearly the cost of exercising is an increasingly important factor when it comes to keeping fit and may be at the root of the growth in popularity of sports in which free play is the norm, such as cycling, hiking, rambling and jogging.”