Walking, Cycling and Public Transport in Northern Ireland 2021/2022
Key points
Walking in Northern Ireland
In 2021/22 almost 9 out of 10 (85%) respondents said they considered ‘walking’ to be active travel, while around 4 in 5 (77%) said the same for ‘cycling’.
Just over two thirds (67%) were satisfied with walking facilities in their area, down from 74% in 2020/21.
63% of respondents said that they would be likely to walk short journeys (up to 2 miles / 3km).
Cycling in Northern Ireland
A third of respondents (33%) own or have access to a bicycle.
Of those who owned or had access to a bicycle, just over a third (34%) had cycled in the previous four weeks.
Less than half (46%) of respondents are satisfied with cycling facilities in their area, down from 53% in 2020/21.
Public Transport in Northern Ireland
Around 8 in 10 (79%) respondents are satisfied with Public transport facilities in their area, around the same as in 2020/21.
Almost two in ten (18%) of respondents used public transport at least a few times per month, and 65% used public transport at least once a year.
Almost all (95%) respondents felt ‘very safe’ or ‘fairly safe’ when using public transport.
Introduction
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is committed to encouraging people to use sustainable transport options such as walking and cycling, public transport, and driving Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs). These priority areas for the Department are designed to deliver active and sustainable travel options to build connectivity, reduce emissions and promote health and well-being for all.
DfI invests in developing better walking and cycling infrastructure and provides significant levels of funding to support and improve public transport services for passengers through a service agreement with Translink, and provides grants to fund a range of passenger transport services aimed at reducing rural and social isolation across Northern Ireland. To support the uptake of ULEVs, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) provides a range of UK-wide e-car related grants including grants towards the purchase of plug-in cars and vans and grants for home, workplace and residential charge points.
The Department for Infrastructure wants to create safer conditions that will encourage more people to complete short journeys by an active and sustainable method of travel, where possible. Encouraging more sustainable and efficient ways of travelling as preferred choices could also contribute to reduced traffic congestion particularly in the peak am/pm commuter period, improved air quality and encourage healthier, more environmentally sustainable lifestyles which would bring many other economic benefits.
Uses of the data
This publication presents information from the 2021/22 Continuous Household Survey (CHS) on modes of transport considered to be ‘active travel’, satisfaction with walking and cycling facilities in their area, likelihood to walk or cycle short journeys, frequency of public transport use, and satisfaction with public transport. The ‘Cycling in NI’ report is published biennially and is included within this report for the first time since 2019/20 and contains information on bicycle access, frequency of cycling and attitudes towards cycling.
The information will be used to assist the Department in focusing its policies on addressing the key issues that prevent people from taking up active and sustainable travel and to encourage more people to use active and sustainable methods of travel, where possible.
Please note that further analysis and Section 75 breakdowns may be available on request from ASRB.
Methodology changes due to COVID-19
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, data collection for the 2020/21 survey moved from face-to-face interviewing to telephone mode with a reduction in the number of questions. Telephone interviewing has remained in place for the 2021/22 survey, therefore caution should be used when interpreting trend data due to methodology and content changes during the 2020/21 survey period.
In 2020/21, the output from the survey, in terms of the range and depth of topics covered, was reduced from that of previous years, with the subsequent capacity for detailed analysis constrained. In 2021/22, the sample size for the CHS returned to normal and while the survey content was slightly impacted by the move to telephone interviewing, a larger number of questions were asked.
More information is available on the NISRA website.
Part 1: Walking in Northern Ireland
This section presents data from the 2021/22 Continuous Household Survey (CHS) in relation to modes of transport considered to be ‘active travel’, satisfaction with walking facilities in their area, and likelihood to walk short journeys (up to 3 km/2 miles). This information will be used to assist the Department in encouraging more people to take up active travel.
1.1 Modes of transport considered to be ‘active travel’
In 2019/20, a question asking respondents “what modes of transport you would consider to be ‘active travel’?” was included within the Continuous Household Survey for the first time.
In 2021/22, 86% respondents said they considered ‘walking’ to be active travel, while almost 4 in 5 (78%) said the same for ‘cycling’. There has been no real change in results since 19/20.
Respondents also said they consider bus (25%), car/van (27%), and train (22%) to be active travel.
Figure 1: What modes of transport do you consider to be ‘active travel’? (%)
1.2 Satisfaction with Walking Infrastructure
Respondents have been asked about their satisfaction with cycling facilities in their area since 2017/2018 and the trend results are displayed in Figure 2 below. However caution should be used when interpreting trend data due to methodology and content changes during the 2020/21 survey period.
Figure 2: Are you satisfied with the current provision for walking and walkers in your area? (%)*
*due to methodology changes figures from 2020/21 are not directly comparable with previous years.
Respondents were asked to indicate whether or not they are satisfied with the current situation for walking and walkers in their local area taking consideration of condition of footpaths, pedestrian crossings, and street lighting etc.
In 2021/22, 67% of respondents said that they were satisfied with walking conditions in their area, down from 74% in 2020/21 and around the same as 2017/18 (64%).
Figure 3: Are you satisfied with the current provision for walking and walkers in your area? (by respondent group) (%)
A higher proportion of those aged 16-24 (77%) were satisfied with walking in their area, compared with 66% of those aged 50 to 64, and 64% of those aged 65 and over.
Male respondents (70%) were more likely to be satisfied with walking in their area than female respondents (65%).
Respondents living in urban areas (75%) were more likely than those living in rural areas (56%) to be satisfied with walking in their area.
Figure 4: Are you satisfied with the current provision for walking and walkers in your area? (by local government district) (%)*
Over 7 in 10 (72%) respondents in both Belfast City and Causeway Coast and Glens council areas were satisfied with walking in their area, which is the highest of all the LGD’s.
The council areas with the lowest proportion of respondents satisfied with walking in their area were Fermanagh and Omagh, and Newry, Mourne, and Down (both 60%).
Figure 5: Are you satisfied with the current provision for walking and walkers in your area? (by Deprivation quintile) (%)
There was no real difference in satisfaction with walking facilities in their local area for those living in the most deprived (72%) and the least deprived areas (70%).
1.3 Likelihood to Walk
Figure 6: Are you likely to walk short journeys (up to 3km / 2 miles)? (%)*
*due to methodology changes figures from 2020/21 are not directly comparable with previous years.
When asked about their likelihood to walk short journeys, over 6 in 10 respondents (63%) said they were likely to walk short journeys (up to 2 miles/3 km), down from 69% in 2020/21 but the longer term trend is up from 54% in 17/18.
Figure 7: Are you likely to walk short journeys (up to 3km / 2 miles)? (by respondent group) (%)
Looking at the likelihood to walk short journeys by respondent group, the oldest age group (65 and over) were the least likely to walk short journeys (47%) compared to all other age groups. Two-thirds (65%) of male respondents said they would be likely to walk short journeys, compared with just under two-thirds (61%) of female respondents.
Respondents living in urban areas (70%) are more likely to walk short journeys than those in rural areas (52%).
Figure 8: Are you likely to walk short journeys (up to 3km / 2 miles)? (by local government district) (%)*
By council area, almost three-quarters (74%) of respondents in North Down and Ards Council said they were likely to walk short journeys compared with less than half (37%) of respondents in Mid Ulster.
Figure 9: Are you likely to walk short journeys (up to 3km / 2 miles)? (by Deprivation quintile) (%)
Those living in the least deprived areas (73%) were more likely to walk short distances than those living in the most deprived areas (65%)..
Part 2: Cycling in Northern Ireland
This section incorporates the two question modules from the 2021/22 Continuous Household Survey (CHS), ‘Cycling in NI’ module which is asked of respondents biennially and the ‘attitudes towards Cycling’ module which has been included in the CHS since 2017/18.
Data is presented on the proportion of people who own or have access to a bicycle, frequency of cycling in the last 4 weeks, attitude towards cycling, satisfaction with cycling facilities in their area, and likelihood to cycle short journeys (up to 3 km/2 miles) . This information will be used to assist the Department in encouraging more people to take up active travel.
2.1 Bicycle Access
All respondents were asked about their access to a bicycle (excluding exercise bikes).
Figure 10: Do you have Access to Bicycle?
In 2021/22, a third (33%) of respondents said they either owned or had access to a bicycle, of which, 29% owned their own bicycle, 3% had use of a bicycle owned by someone else in the household and 1% had use of a bicycle owned by someone else outside the household.
The remaining two thirds (67%) of respondents had no access to a bicycle.
Figure 11: Access to a bicycle by respondent group
Those aged between 16-24 (45%) were more likely to have access to a bicycle than those aged over 65 (13%)
Male respondents (40%) were more likely to either own or have access to a bicycle than female respondents (26%).
Respondents living in Rural areas (35%) were more likely to have access to a bicycle than their urban counterparts (31%).
Figure 12: Access to a bicycle by local government district
When considering access to a bicycle by LGD, 37% of respondents those living in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon had access compared to 18% of those living in Fermanagh and Omagh.
Figure 13: Access to a bicycle (by Deprivation quintile)
Those living in the least deprived areas were more likely to have access to a bicycle (42%) than those living in the most deprived areas (22%).
2.2 Cycling in the last 4 weeks
Respondents who said they had access to a bicycle were asked if they had done any cycling in the last 4 weeks. Those who said they had cycled within the last 4 weeks are described as ‘cyclists’ for the purposes of this report.
Figure 14: Have you done any cycling in the last 4 weeks?
In 2021/22, just over a third (34%) of respondents who had access to a bicycle said they have cycled at least once in the last four weeks. This is an increase from 2019/20 (25%) when this question was last asked and around the same as in 2016/17 (30%) when the question was first asked.
Figure 15: Have you done any cycling in the last 4 weeks (by respondent group)
Male respondents (41%) were more likely to have cycled at least once in the last four weeks than female respondents (21%).
Figure 16: Have you done any cycling in the last 4 weeks (by deprivation quintile)
There was no real difference in those who had cycled in the past 4 weeks when comparing those living in the most deprived (36%) and the least deprived (34%) areas.
Figure 17: How many days in the last 4 weeks have you cycled?
Of the 376 respondents who said they had cycled in the last 4 weeks, three in ten (30%) cycled at least once a fortnight, 28% cycled at least once per week, 19% cycled between 2 - 4 days per week and a small proportion (9%) said they cycled 5-7 days a week.
2.3 Attitudes towards Cycling
Respondents were shown four statements and asked which best describes their attitude towards cycling. Each of the statements can be associated to a general category of cyclists taken from the ‘Four Types of Cyclists’ typology developed by the Portland Office of Transportation and are summarised below;
Figure 18: Attitudes towards cycling
In 2021/21, around two-thirds (69%) of respondents were in the ‘No way, no how’ group – around the same as in 2019/20 (67%). 17% said they were ‘interested, but concerned’, 12% of respondents were ‘enthused and confident’. A small proportion (4%) were ‘strong and fearless’ in regards to cycling. These results were similar to those from 2019/20 when this question was last asked.
Figure 19: Attitudes towards cycling (by respondent group)
This chart presents data on those who were ‘strong and fearless’, ‘enthused and confident’ and ‘interested, but concerned’ by respondent group.
Those aged over 65 were more likely then any other age group to say ‘no way, no how’ when describing their attitude to cycling.
A higher proportion of male respondents said they were ‘strong and fearless’ (7%) and ‘enthused and confident’ (17%) when it comes to cycling, compared with female respondents (2% and 7%, respectively). Conversely, a higher proportion of female respondents (73%) said ‘no way, no how’ compared with 60% of male respondents.
Figure 20: Attitudes towards cycling (by local government district)
This map presents data on those who were ‘strong and fearless’, ‘enthused and confident’ and ‘interested, but concerned’ by LGD.
In 2021/22, the survey found that residents living in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon (43%) were the most likely to be ‘strong and fearless’, ‘enthused and confident’ and ‘interested, but concerned’ compared to 19% of residents living in Fermanagh and Omagh.
Figure 21: Attitudes towards cycling (by deprivation quintile)
This chart presents data on those who were ‘strong and fearless’, ‘enthused and confident’ and ‘interested, but concerned’ by deprivation quintile.
Residents living in the least deprived areas (44%) were more likely to be ‘strong and fearless’, ‘enthused and confident’ and ‘interested, but concerned’ compared to 24% of residents living in the most deprived areas.
2.4 Cycling Infrastructure Satisfaction
Figure 22: Are you satisfied with the current provision for cycling and cyclists in your area? (%)*
*due to methodology changes figures from 2020/21 are not directly comparable with previous years.
In 2021/22, less than half (46%) of respondents said they were satisfied with cycling in their area, down from 53% in 2020/21 and 55% in 2017/18.
Figure 23: Are you satisfied with the current provision for cycling and cyclists in your area? (by respondent group) (%)
Those aged 16-24 (55%) were most likely to say they were satisfied with cycling in their area.
There was no real difference in the proportion of male respondents (48%) who were satisfied with cycling in their area, when compared with female respondents (45%).
Respondents living in urban areas (50%) were more likely to be satisfied with cycling in their area than those living in rural areas (41%).
Figure 24: Are you satisfied with the current provision for cycling and cyclists in your area? (by local government district) (%)*
Satisfaction with cycling in their area varied widely among LGD areas with six in ten (60%) respondents in Mid Ulster council area who were satisfied with cycling in their area, compared with 37% of respondents in Newry, Mourne and Down council.
Figure 25: Are you satisfied with the current provision for cycling and cyclists in your area? (by Deprivation Quintile) (%)
There was no real difference in satisfaction with cycling facilities when comparing those living in the most deprived areas (50%) and those living in the least deprived areas (45%).
Figure 26: Are you likely to cycle short journeys (up to 5km / 3 miles)? (%)*
*due to methodology changes figures from 2020/21 are not directly comparable with previous years.
Respondents were asked if they would be likely to cycle short journeys (up to 3km/2 miles). In 2021/22, one fifth (20%) of respondents said they would be likely to cycle short journeys, down from 25% in 2020/21 and around the same as 2017/18 (17%) when the question was first asked.
Figure 27: Are you likely to cycle short journeys (up to 5km / 3 miles)? (by respondent group) (%)
29% of those aged 16-24 said they were likely to cycle short journeys, comapred with 8% of those aged 65 and over.
Male respondents (29%) were more likely to cycle short journeys than females (12%).
Figure 28: Are you likely to cycle short journeys (up to 5km / 3 miles)? (by local government district) (%)*
Almost three in ten (29%) respondents in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon said they would be likely to cycle short journeys, compared with 15% of respondents in Mid Ulster.
Figure 29: Are you likely to cycle short journeys (up to 5km / 3 miles)? (by Deprivation Quintile) (%)
There was a small difference in the proportion that said they would cycle for short journeys when comparing those living in the least deprived areas (24%) and those living in the most deprived areas (16%).
Part 3: Public Transport
3.1 Use of Public Transport
Question modules on attitudes towards Public Transport were previously included in the CHS (since 2017/18), however caution should be used when comparing trend data due to methodology and content changes during the 2020/21 survey period.
This section presents data from the 2021/22 Continuous Household Survey (CHS) in relation to frequency of public transport use, type of public transport used, satisfaction with using, and feelings of safety while using public transport. This information will be used to assist the Department in encouraging more people to use public transport.
Figure 30: How often do you use public transport? (%)
Less than a fifth of respondents use public transport ‘everyday’ (4%) or at least ‘once a week’ (9%) while more than a third (35%) said they ‘never’ use public transport.
Figure 31: Which public transport services do you use? (%)
Respondents who indicated that they used public transport were asked which public transport services they used and could select more than one answer. Over half of respondents had used ‘Ulsterbus’ services (51%) and 48% had used ‘NI rail’. City based services such as ‘Metro’ and ‘Glider’ were used by 21% and 12% of respondents respectively.
However, a much higher proportion of residents living in Belfast LGD had used the ‘Glider’ (41%) and ‘Metro’ (69%).
3.2 Satisfaction with Public Transport
Figure 32: Are you satisfied with public transport facilities in your area? (%)*
*due to methodology changes figures from 2020/21 are not directly comparable with previous years.
In 2021/22, almost 8 in 10 (79%) of respondents said they were ‘satisfied’ with public transport facilities in their area. This is around the same as in 2020/21 (79%) but up from 72% in 2017/18.
Figure 33: Are you satisfied with public transport facilities in your area? (by respondent group) (%)
Those aged 16-24 (87%) were more likely to say they were satisfied with public transport than those aged 15-49 (76%).
A higher proportion of respondents in urban areas (86%) said they were satisfied with public transport in their area compared with those living in rural areas (69%).
Figure 34: Are you satisfied with public transport facilities in your area? (by local government district) (%)*
Almost nine in ten (87%) respondents in Belfast City Council said they were satisfied with public transport facilities in their area, compared with seven in ten (69%) in Fermanagh and Omagh.
Figure 35: Are you satisfied with public transport facilities in your area? (by Deprivation quintile) (%)
Satisfaction with public transport facilities in their area is similar when comparing those living in the most deprived areas (85%) and those living in the least deprived areas (83%).
3.3 Safety using Public Transport
Figure 36: Do you feel safe using public transport? (%)
More than half (56%) of respondents said they feel ‘very safe’ while using public transport, and more than two-fifths (39%) said they feel ‘fairly safe’ using public transport. A small proportion of respondents (1%) said they feel ‘very unsafe’ using public transport.
Respondents were subsequently asked ‘During the last 12 months, have you been the victim of a crime while using public transport?’. Less than 0.5% said that they had been a victim of a crime so no further results have been reported.
Figure 37: Do you feel safe using public transport? (by respondent group) (%)
Male respondents (97%) were more likely than female respondents (93%) to say they felt ‘very safe’ or ‘fairly safe’ when using public transport.
Figure 38: Do you feel safe using public transport? (by local government district) (%)*
Feelings of safety while using public transport are generally high, and 98% of respondents in Mid Ulster and Causeway Coast and Glens council areas said they feel ‘very safe’ or ‘fairly safe’ when using public transport.
The lowest proportion of respondents who said they feel ‘very safe’ or ‘fairly safe’ when using public transport was amongst those in Mid and East Antrim Council, although still above 9 in 10 respondents (91%).
Figure 39: Do you feel safe using public transport? (by Deprivation quintile) (%)
Contact information
Appendices
Appendix A: Technical Notes
The Northern Ireland Continuous Household Survey
Data Collection
The information presented in this publication derives from the Northern Ireland Continuous Household Survey (CHS), a Northern Ireland wide household survey administered by Central Survey Unit (CSU), Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).
It is based on a sample of the general population resident in private households and has been running since 1983. The survey is designed to provide a regular source of information on a wide range of social and economic issues relevant to Northern Ireland. The Active and Sustainable Travel in Northern Ireland questions which were commissioned by DfI are included in Appendix C of this report.
Note: Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, data collection for the 2020/21 survey moved from face-to-face interviewing to telephone mode with a reduction in the number of questions. Telephone Interviewing continued for the 2021/22 survey period and therefore, caution should be used when interpreting trend data due to methodology and content changes during the 2020/21 survey period. While output from the 2020/21 survey, in terms of the range and depth of topics covered, was reduced from that of previous years, the sample size of the 2021/22 survey was normal and questionnaire content was increased. More information is available on the NISRA website.
Data Quality
Data were collected by CSU and various validation checks were carried out as part of the processing. CSU is the leading social survey research organisation in Northern Ireland and is one of the main business areas of NISRA, an Agency within the Department of Finance. CSU has a long track record and a wealth of experience in the design, management and analysis of behavioural and attitude surveys in the context of a wide range of social policy issues. CSU procedures are consistent with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
The CHS sample was assessed and considered to be a representative sample of the Northern Ireland population at household level.
Whilst data quality is considered to be very good, note that all survey estimates are subject to a degree of error and this must be taken account of when considering results. This error will be reasonably small for the majority of Northern Ireland level results but care should be taken when looking at results based on smaller breakdowns.
Respondents
The Continuous Household Survey is a Northern Ireland wide household survey administered by Central Survey Unit, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The sample for this survey consists of a systematic random sample of 9,000 addresses selected from the NISRA address register. The findings reported for 2021/22 are based on 4,103 respondents, aged 16 and over.
The number of respondents who answered each question, i.e. the base number, is stated in the commentary and/or the associated chart. The base number is the unweighted count.
Some questions were only asked if the respondent had answered ‘yes’ to a previous question. The base number may also vary between questions due to some respondents not answering certain questions.
Weighting
Analysis of the Active and Sustainable Travel in Northern Ireland module of the CHS has been weighted for non-response.
A chi square goodness-of-fit test showed that the CHS sample was not representative of the population by age and sex when compared with the 2020 Mid Year Population Estimates for Northern Ireland NISRA 25 June 2021. As a result, separate weights were produced for age and sex, and combinations of these variables.
Non-response weighting sometimes increases standard errors, although the impact tends to be fairly small, i.e. the adjustment may be less or greater than 1, but will generally be reasonably close to 1. In the case of the walking, cycling and public transport modules of the CHS, the values of the adjustment for all three weighting systems are so close to one, it is not necessary to take account of this in the calculation of standard error and confidence intervals.
While weighting for non-response (also called post-stratification) should reduce bias, it must be acknowledged that it will not eliminate bias. The reasons individuals choose to take part in surveys are complex and depend on lots of factors specific to the individual. As a result, the non-response biases in surveys are likely to be complex. Post-stratification works on the assumption that, by aligning the survey to the population along a small number of dimensions such as age, gender and MDM, many of these complex biases will reduce. However, it would be misleading to suggest that they will be eliminated.
Confidence Intervals
No sample is likely to reflect precisely the characteristics of the population it is drawn from because of both sampling and non-sampling errors. An estimate of the amount of error due to the sampling process can be calculated. For a simple random sample design, in which every member of the sampled population has an equal and independent chance of inclusion in the sample, the sampling error of any percentage, p, can be calculated by the formula: s.e. (p) = √(p*(100 – p)/n where n is the number of respondents on which the percentage is based. The sample for the Continuous Household Survey is drawn as a random sample, and thus this formula can be used to calculate the sampling error of any percentage estimate from the survey.
Multiple Response Questions
Multiple response questions are those for which respondents can give
more than one response if they wish. In such questions, when individual
percentages are summed they may add to more than 100%.
Rounding Conventions
Percentages have been rounded to whole numbers and as a consequence some
percentages may not sum to 100. 0% may reflect rounding down of values
under 0.5.
Significant Difference
Any statements in this report regarding differences between groups such
as males and females, different age groups, dependant status, etc., are
statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. This means that
we can be 95% confident that the differences between groups are actual
differences and have not just arisen by chance. Both the base numbers
and the sizes of the percentages have an effect on statistical
significance.
Therefore on occasion, a difference between two groups may be statistically significant while the same difference in percentage points between two other groups may not be statistically significant. The reason for this is because the larger the base numbers or the closer the percentages are to 0 or 100, the smaller the standard errors. This leads to increased precision of the estimates which increases the likelihood that the difference between the proportions is actually significant and did not just arise by chance.
Respondent Groups
The following respondent groups were considered:
Age group
The age of the respondent is grouped into the following age bands:
16-24, 25-34, 35-49, 50,-64, 65 and over.
Sex
Sex of respondent is defined as whether the respondent is male or
female.
Urban and rural areas
Urban and rural areas have been classified using the statistical
classification of settlements defined by the Inter-Departmental
Urban-Rural Definition Group.
- Bands A to E are classified as Urban. This includes Belfast
Metropolitan Urban Area (Band A), Derry Urban Area (Band B) and large,
medium and small towns (Bands C-E) with populations greater than or
equal to 5,000 people.
- Bands F to H are classified as rural. This includes intermediate settlements (Band F), villages (Band G) and small villages, hamlets and open countryside (Band H) with populations of less than 5,000 people and including open countryside.
Local Government District
Local Government Districts include the 11 district council areas:
Antrim and Newtownabbey
Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon
Belfast
Causeway Coast and Glens
Derry and Strabane
Fermanagh and Omagh
Lisburn and Castlereagh
Mid and East Antrim
Mid Ulster
Newry, Mourne and Down
North Down and Ards
Multiple Deprivation Measure
The measures, known as NIMDM 2017, were informed through public consultation and Steering Group agreement, and provide a mechanism for ranking the 890 Super Output areas (SOAs) in Northern Ireland from the most deprived (rank 1) to the least deprived (rank 890).
They include ranks of the areas for each of 7 distinct types (or domains) of deprivation, which have been combined to produce an overall multiple deprivation measure (MDM) rank of the areas.
Deprivation quintiles
1 - Most deprived 2 3 4 5 - Least deprived
Appendix B: Confidence intervals
A confidence interval represents the range of values in which the true population value is likely to lie. It is based on the sample estimate and the confidence level. As the percentages are calculated from a representative sample of the Northern Ireland population (aged 16 and over), a confidence interval can be calculated to estimate the level of uncertainty in the sample estimate.
95% confidence intervals were calculated for the headline figures. Table B1 summarizes the confidence intervals for satisfaction with Walking, Cycling and Public Transport in Northern Ireland.
Table B1: Confidence intervals for Active and Sustainable Travel in Northern Ireland
| Measure | Estimate (%) | Sample (n) | 95% Confidence Range +/- | Confidence Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % who are satisfied with the current situation for walking and walkers in their local area at present. | 67 | 4,052 | 2 | 65-69% |
| % who are likely to walk short journeys (up to 2 miles/3km) | 63 | 4,065 | 2 | 61-65% |
| % who are satisfied with the current situation for cycling and cyclists in their local area at present. | 46 | 3,844 | 2 | 44-48% |
| % who are likely to cycle short journeys (up to 3 miles/5km) | 20 | 4,000 | 2 | 18-22% |
| % who use public transport at least once a year | 55 | 4,070 | 2 | 53-57% |
| % who are satisfied with the current public transport situation and facilities in their local area at present. | 79 | 3,791 | 2 | 77-81% |
| % who feel ‘very safe’ using public transport. | 56 | 3,895 | 1 | 55-57% |
The 95% confidence interval for respondents who are satisfied with the current situation for walking and walkers in their local area at present is 67% +/- 2%. This means that there is a 95% probability that the proportion of the Northern Ireland adult population who are satisfied with the current situation for walking and walkers in their local area at present lies between 65% and 69%.
The 95% confidence interval for respondents who are likely to walk short journeys is 63% +/- 2%. This means that there is a 95% probability that the proportion of the Northern Ireland adult population who are likely to walk short journeys lies between 61% and 65%.
The 95% confidence interval for respondents who are satisfied with the current situation for cycling and cyclists in their local area at present is 46% +/- 2%. This means that there is a 95% probability that the proportion of the Northern Ireland adult population who are satisfied with the current situation for cycling and cyclists in their local area at present lies between 44% and 48%.
The 95% confidence interval for respondents who are likely to cycle short journeys is 20% +/- 2%. This means that there is a 95% probability that the proportion of the Northern Ireland adult population who are likely to cycle short journeys lies between 18% and 22%.
The 95% confidence interval for respondents who use public transport at least once a year is 55% +/- 1%. This means that there is a 95% probability that the proportion of the Northern Ireland adult population who use public transport ‘everyday’ lies between 53% and 57%.
The 95% confidence interval for respondents who are satisfied with the current public transport situation and facilities in their local area at present is 79% +/- 2%. This means that there is a 95% probability that the proportion of the Northern Ireland adult population who are satisfied with the current public transport situation and facilities in their local area at present lies between 77% and 81%.
The 95% confidence interval for respondents who feel ‘very safe’ public transport situation and facilities in their local area at present is 56% +/- 1%. This means that there is a 95% probability that the proportion of the Northern Ireland adult population who feel ‘very safe’ using public transport lies between 55% and 57%.
Appendix C: Active and Sustainable Travel in Northern Ireland Questionnaire
ACTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
WALKING AND CYCLING
[ACTIVE1] (SHOWCARD) Could you look at this showcard and tell me what modes of transport you would consider to be ‘active travel’?
- Walking
- Cycling
- Bus
- Train
- Car/Van
- Motorcycle/Scooter/Moped
- Taxi
- Other
[WALK5] Are you satisfied with the current situation for walking and walkers in your local area at present? By this I mean condition of footpaths, pedestrian crossings, street lighting etc.
- Yes
- No
[WALK7] Would you be likely to walk any journeys you have to make that are up to 2 miles / 3kms?
- Yes
- No
[CYCLE5] Are you satisfied with the current situation for cycling and cyclists in your local area at present?
- Yes
- No
[CYCLE7] Would you be likely to cycle any journeys you have to make that are up to 3 miles / 5kms?
- Yes
- No
[BIKE1] Excluding exercise bikes, do you…
- Own a bicycle yourself
- Have use of a bicycle owned by someone else in the household
- Have use of a bicycle owned by someone else outside the household
- Or have no use of a bicycle?
[BIKE2] In the last 4 weeks, that is since XX/XX/XXXX have you done any cycling?
- Yes
- No
[BIKE3] How many days in the last 4 weeks have you cycled?
1, 2, … , 28
[BIKE5] (SHOWCARD) Could you look at the statements on SHOWCARD and tell me which statement best describes your attitude to cycling?
- I will ride my bicycle regardless of road conditions. I am a cyclist; cycling is a strong part of my identity and I am generally undeterred by road conditions
- I am comfortable riding my bicycle and sharing the roadway with other vehicles. i could be attracted to more regular cycling if the barriers on shorter trip distances continued to be addressed, for example, better bicycle facilities (more cycle lanes, cycle paths, cycle priority at junctions) and better end of trip facilities (showers at work, safe bike storage etc.)
- I would like to use my bicycle more but I am afraid to cycle. I don’t like the cars travelling at speed and I get nervous thinking about what would happen to me on a bicycle when a car passes too closely and/or too fast. I would cycle if I felt safer on the roads - if cars were slower and less frequent and if there were more quiet streets with few cars and paths without any cars at all
- I am not interested in cycling at all as I am not able or simply have no interest.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT & JOURNEY PLANNING
[PUBTRAN1] I am now going to ask a few questions about public transport use. How often do you travel on public transport? INSTRUCTION: THIS WOULD BE TRAVEL ON NI RAIL, ULSTERBUS, METRO OR THE GLIDER
- Every day
- At least once a week
- At least once every 2-3 weeks
- At least once a month
- Once every 2-3 months
- Once every 6 months
- Once a year
- Less frequently
- Never >>>[TLINK5a]
[PUBTRAN2] Which public transport services do you use?
- Glider
- Metro
- Ulsterbus
- NI Rail
- Other bus service
[TLINK5a] In general, are you satisfied with public transport in your local area at present?
- Yes
- No
[PTSAFE1] IF PUBTRAN1 <> 9 In terms of crime and personal
safety, how safe do you feel when using public transport?
Would you say you feel … IF PUBTRAN1 = 9 In terms of crime and personal
safety, how safe would you feel if you were to use public transport?
Would you say you feel … RUNNING PROMPT
- Very safe
- Fairly safe
- A bit unsafe
- Or very unsafe?
[PTSAFE2] During the last 12 months since [date year ago], have you been the victim of a crime while using public transport?
- Yes
- No
[PTSAFE3] How many times has this happened?
1, 2, … , 99
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