More than a quarter of French seniors cycle regularly

On the eve of European Mobility Week, the Mobile Lives Forum, a think tank specializing in the transition to more sustainable lifestyles, presents the results of its national survey on cycling among 60-80 year-olds.

This study shows that more than one in four seniors (28%) cycle at least once a week. This represents nearly five million people in total. Most also associate cycling with very positive notions, such as pleasure, freedom, nature, etc. On the other hand, whether they are cyclists or not, all or almost all (88%) agree that this mode of transport will be expected to develop in the future.

By the age of 60, there are more people who increase their cycling (41%) than those who decrease it (28%), with the others continuing to ride as before. It should be noted, however, that few people suddenly start cycling at this age if they did not do so before.

Half of seniors who travel by bike do so as much for their utilitarian trips as for pleasure (53%). They are also 32% to practice it only for pleasure or to do sport and 15% to do it exclusively for purely utilitarian purposes. In rural areas, practice for pleasure largely dominates, unlike in cities where seniors prefer the bike for utilitarian outings.

Like the majority of cyclists of all ages, seniors say they feel safest when they are on a lane separated from car traffic (80%). Unsurprisingly, the lack of safety and fear of accidents among non-cyclists are the main obstacles to cycling (79%). To encourage more seniors to cycle, more infrastructure and safe cycle paths are needed. This is an even more important issue since, according to INSEE, the over-60s will represent 35% of the French population by 2075, compared to 28% today.

*This study was conducted by the BVA institute for the Vies Mobiles Forum, from November 6 to 21, 2023, with a sample of 783 French people aged between 60 and 80.

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