Survey: Over Half of Adults Exercise Too Little

More than half of adults surveyed across 31 countries do not reach recommended levels of physical activity, according to a global study that links low movement to poorer mental wellbeing. The research, involving 34,000 people across 31 markets, found that respondents spend an average of 86% of their waking day inactive and that 53% fail to meet recommended exercise guidelines.

The findings were released by the sports brand ASICS ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, and were carried by World Athletics as well as Chinese state outlet Xinhua News, which filed a report from its Geneva correspondent.

How the Study Was Framed

The survey was commissioned by ASICS, which developed what it calls the “Movement Conservation Status” to categorize respondents by weekly activity. Borrowing the language of wildlife conservation, it groups people into three tiers: Active (150 or more minutes of movement per week), At Risk (30 to 149 minutes), and Endangered (fewer than 30 minutes).

The ASICS press release states the methodology was developed with Professor Brendon Stubbs, drawing on recognised physical activity guidelines from the World Health Organization, Sport England, NHS England, and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines.

The July 2026 online study surveyed 1,000 members of the general population in each market — 2,000 each in the United States, United Kingdom, and China — and was described as nationally representative by age, gender, and region.

Key Findings

The headline figures are stark. Nearly one in four respondents (23%) were classified as “Endangered,” reporting less than 30 minutes of exercise a week. ASICS projects that the share of adults classified as At Risk or Endangered will rise from 53% to 56% by 2035, equivalent to an estimated 2.3 billion adults across the countries studied.

The survey also points to a link between movement and reported state of mind. Respondents classified as Endangered recorded an average “State of Mind” score of 60 out of 100, compared with 71 for those classified as Active. They reported feeling 23% less energised, 20% less composed, 17% less focused, and 16% more stressed than their active counterparts.

Young adults were among the most affected. More than half (57%) of 18-to-24-year-olds said they failed to meet recommended activity levels, with 92% of that group reporting negative consequences such as low mood, increased stress, or poor sleep.

A World That ‘Makes Movement Optional’

Modern convenience appears to be a central driver. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) said convenience makes it easy to spend a whole day barely moving, and more than four in ten said they could comfortably go three or more days without leaving home. Those who often spent a full day indoors had lower average State of Mind scores — 62 versus 71 — and were twice as likely to be moving at “Endangered” levels.

David Raichlen, a professor of biology and anthropology at the University of Southern California, said the findings reflect a structural shift in daily life. “We’ve built a world that makes movement optional,” he said. “The encouraging thing is that it doesn’t take much to change: small, achievable moments of activity can make a real difference.”

ASICS says its research found that just 15 minutes of movement can produce a measurable uplift in mental state — the basis for its “15 Minutes to Thrive” campaign and a short documentary, Human Nature, narrated by Sigourney Weaver.

Analysis and Caveats

The study echoes long-standing warnings from global health bodies that physical inactivity is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, and mental-health conditions. Its emphasis on a mental rather than purely physical payoff — the 15-minute effect — reflects a newer focus in public-health messaging.

Several caveats are worth noting. The data is self-reported rather than device-measured, which the press release acknowledges, and self-reporting can over- or under-state actual activity. The survey is also commissioned by a sportswear company with a commercial interest in people moving more, and the “world’s first conservation warning for movement” is a brand framing rather than a scientific or regulatory designation. No China-specific breakdown of results was included in the available reports, despite China being one of the surveyed markets.

What’s Next

ASICS is inviting the public to take part in its “15 Minutes to Thrive” initiative around World Mental Health Day. For policymakers, the findings add to a growing body of evidence that sedentary lifestyles are a systemic public-health challenge — one that, as the survey’s framing suggests, may be treated less as an individual failing than as a feature of modern environments.