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About this release
The National Travel Survey (NTS) is a household survey of the personal journeys of English residents traveling in the UK, from data collected through interviews and a seven-day travel diary, enabling analysis of patterns and trends. This release covers key findings from this travel behavior in 2021. The March 2020 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on travel trends in 2020 and 2021 and influenced the performance of this study.
Fieldwork for the NTS 2021 survey continued to be affected by the coronavirus restrictions from March 2020, with data collection combining the approach used in 2020 with interviews conducted by telephone (push-to-telephone approach). instead of face-to-face, and to increase response rates, recruiting trained interviewers, with interviews conducted over the phone (nudge-to-nudge approach).
The 2021 survey response rate was midway between 2019 levels (14,356 individuals) and 2020 levels (6,239 individuals) with 9,971 individuals participating in the survey, an increase of 60% compared to 2020, but a 31% decrease compared to 2019. Therefore, caution is needed when interpreting these results for 2020 and 2021, as they are likely to be less representative of the people of England in compared to previous years. Please see our technical note for more details.
Main findings
Average journeys taken by people living in England remained at a similar level in 2021 compared to 2020, but journey levels remained lower than in 2019 (-21%) with an average of 757 journeys , carried out in 2021
In 2021, there was an increase in passenger car and all public transport in 2021 compared to 2020, and a decrease in other private and active modes of transport such as cycling. Average trips by foot and car drivers remained similar to 2020. Most of the increase in total average trips was due to an increase in the average number of passenger car trips. There were 10% more car journeys with 148 journeys per person in 2021. For public transport modes, journeys increased by 19% compared to 2020, but remain 45% lower than average journeys in 2019.
After cycling peaked in 2020, the number of trips and distance traveled per person returned to pre-pandemic trends. In 2021, there was an average of 55 miles traveled per person, which is similar to pre-pandemic levels, although the majority of trips were for leisure and a smaller proportion were for commuting. This is consistent with the changes seen in the number of trips overall since the start of the pandemic. Compared to 2020, average bicycle trips fell by 27% in 2021 to 15 trips per person, a figure that is 7% lower than in 2019.
On average, men made more bicycle trips than women in all age groups, with 24 bicycle trips per person in 2021, compared to 7 bicycle trips per person by women. Men covered four times the distance with an average of 89 miles cycled, compared to 22 miles cycled by women.
Walking trips in 2021 were similar to the 2020 average at 235 trips per person, but down 6% compared to 2019. Average miles traveled decreased 4% in 2021 to 210 miles per person compared by 2020 (220 miles per person), however, this remains a 3% increase over 2019 (205 miles per person). Women made more trips on foot in 2021 on average, with 256 trips per person, compared to men with 213 trips per person. This was observed in all age groups except those aged 17 to 20 years. Women also traveled longer than men at 218 miles per person, compared to men’s 202 miles per person in 2021.
There is an increase in trips for commuting, education, personal business and visiting friends at home in 2021 compared to 2020, but trips for these purposes remain lower on average compared to 2019. There is a decrease of day trips and other trips including walking only in 2021 to 36 and 106 trips per person, down 20% and 7% respectively compared to 2020. However, these are the only travel purposes that remain on average more high from 2019 travel, an increase of 15% and 74% respectively.
The most common purpose of travel in 2021 was shopping, but there was a 6% drop in shopping trips in 2021 compared to 2020 to 133 trips per person. The longest trips in terms of distance traveled were for travel at 817 miles per person, the second longest were for visiting friends at home at 695 miles per person and the third longest were for shopping in 2021 at 466 miles per person.
COVID-19 and travel in 2021
In 2021, the people of England faced varying levels of restrictions related to the pandemic, including the third national lockdown from January to March and a phased exit after that, with the final restrictions on social contact being lifted in the summer. Towards the end of the year, with the advent of the Omicron variant, the government issued guidelines including ‘working from home’ for office workers, which would have affected personal travel at the time. The National Travel Survey found that, overall, personal travel in 2021 did not return to pre-pandemic trends and patterns, although there were increases in the use of public transport compared to the low levels seen in 2020. This is in line with with the Department of Transportation’s COVID-19 transportation usage statistics showing that personal trips, while varying from month to month, remain below the pre-pandemic reference point, especially early in the year.
Travel Trends Since 1970
Chart 1: Trends in journeys taken, miles traveled and hours spent travelling: 1972 to 2021 (NTS0101)
From the early 1970s to the early 2000s, the average distance traveled by people per year increased, but the number of trips and time spent traveling remained broadly the same. Since then, average miles traveled have gradually declined, but the average number of trips per person and hours spent traveling have remained broadly stable. In 2020, there was a sharp decline in average miles, trips and hours traveled compared to 2019, a year when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to travel restrictions. In 2021, average miles traveled remained at a similar level to 2020 (4,329 miles, -33% compared to 2019), which is the lowest on record. The average number of trips and time spent traveling are also similar to 2020.
Latest travel trends, miles and hours
Figure 2: Trends in journeys taken, miles traveled and hours spent travelling: England, 2002 to 2021 (NTS0101)
People took an average of 757 trips in 2021, or 15 trips per week. This is similar to 2020 (average 739 trips) and a 21% decrease compared to 2019 (average 953 trips). People traveled an average of 4,329 miles in 2021, down 33% from 2019 (average of 6,500 miles). People spent an average of 273 hours traveling in 2021, a similar level to 2020 (269 hours on average) and a 26% decrease compared to 2019 (370 hours on average). This includes 26 minutes per cycle journey, 19 minutes per car driver journey and 19 minutes per walking journey, on average in 2021.
General information
The 2021 National Travel Survey (NTS) is the latest in a series of personal travel household surveys of English residents traveling within the UK, from data collected through interviews and a seven-day travel diary. The NTS is part of an ongoing survey that began in 1988, following ad hoc surveys since the 1960s, that allows analysis of patterns and trends.
Some key uses of the data include describing patterns, for example how different groups of people travel, monitoring travel trends, including sustainable modes; assessment of the potential impact on the equality of different groups; and contribution to policy evaluation.
We always welcome feedback to ensure the survey meets user needs, and any feedback provided will help inform future survey design and development. If you have any feedback, please email National Travel Survey Statistics.
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These statistics are called national statistics. National statistics are produced in accordance with high professional standards as set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. The Code of Practice for Statistics plays an essential role in ensuring that statistics published by government inspire public confidence by demonstrating reliability and providing high quality statistics. This statistic was designated as a national statistic in July 2011. The continued designation was confirmed in September 2018.
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