Bicycle Is Primary Means of Transport for 35 million Europeans

BRUSSELS, Belgium – Commissioned by the European Union, the Gallup Organization held a survey among citizens of the EU-27 countries. The bicycle is the primary means of transport for more than 35 million Europeans or 7% of the total population. Not surprisingly, the car is by far the most popular way to go from A to B for 53% of the Europeans.

Initially the survey examined the current means of transport that EU citizens used to get around on a daily basis. These ranged from a car or motorbike, to public transport, cycling and walking.

Not surprisingly a third of respondents in Netherlands (32%-34%) said that they mainly got around on a daily basis by walking or cycling. In the Netherlands, interviewees who used a bicycle as their main means of transport largely outnumbered those who said that they usually walked (31% cycling versus 3% walking).

Besides the Netherlands cycling is also taking a substantial part of the non motorized mobility in other EU member states. In Hungary for example the ratio is 19% cycling versus 12% walking, in Sweden 17% cycling versus 11% walking, in Denmark 19% cycling versus 4% walking, Germany 13% cycling versus 7% walking and Belgium 13% cycling versus 5% walking. The average for the European Union is 7% cycling versus 13% walking.

Cycling is definitely not a matter of limited income proven by the fact that in Cyprus, with the lowest average income in the European Union, 89% of all mobility takes place by cars while the portion of people cycling is neglectable.

The survey obtained interviews predominantly through fixed-line telephone, with nationally representative samples of EU citizens (aged 15 and older) living in the 27 Member States. The target sample size in most countries was 1,000 interviews, but in Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta the sample size was 500 interviews; in total, 25,570 interviews were conducted by Gallup’s network of fieldwork organizations from October 15 to October 19, 2010. Statistical results were weighted to correct for known demographic discrepancies.

For the complete survey, click here