How have cycling and walking developed in Austria in recent years? The Active Mobility Report now provides answers. It summarizes the results of the second nationwide survey on active mobility from 2023 and compares them to the first survey conducted in 2021. The report also reveals surprising developments compared to the first survey: declining popularity among young people, fewer bicycles owned per household. Expected, however, are the barriers to increased cycling, such as reluctance to ride in the rain and the ongoing e-bike boom. Here, we present a summary focusing on cycling.

Declining trend among young cyclists

The survey shows that 27% of respondents in 2023 rode a bike daily or several times a week. However, this is significantly fewer people than in 2021, when it was 38%. Could the cycling trend during the pandemic explain this? It is also noticeable that bike usage is declining among the younger generation. The proportion of young people who never cycle has nearly doubled since 2021: from 15% to 36%.

Frequency of cycling by age and federal state

A comparison with the 2021 survey clearly shows the declining popularity of cycling among 16- to 29-year-olds — dropping from 87% to 78%. This development indicates that cycling mobility especially needs to be promoted for this age group.

The graphic also shows that cycling is particularly common in Salzburg, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg. People in Vienna and those over 60 use bicycles the least.

Barriers to increased cycling identified

The survey also highlights the main barriers to increased cycling. In addition to infrastructural shortcomings, practical everyday requirements, physical limitations, and safety concerns play a central role in the decision not to use a bicycle.

Analyses of trip purposes and weather conditions show that cycling is primarily used for leisure trips, shopping, or running errands. Around 40% of respondents are not deterred from cycling even by low temperatures. However, the willingness to ride a bike in the rain (25%) or snow (14%) is significantly lower.

Multimodal mobility

The survey provides interesting insights into combined mobility: 35% of cyclists occasionally combine cycling with public transportation, while 65% rely solely on their bike. This combination is especially popular among younger people and is noticeably more common in Vienna, Salzburg, and Vorarlberg than in other federal states.

Bicycle equipment: standard in many Austrian households

Three quarters of respondents own at least one functional bicycle, and 56% even own multiple bikes. However, the proportion of those without a working bike has increased from 17% to 23%. Among bike types, everyday bikes still dominate (65%), followed by mountain bikes (33%). E-bikes are experiencing a significant upswing: their share increased by ten percentage points to 29% compared to 2021.

E-bike boom continues

Already, 52% of cyclists have tried an e-bike at least once — in 2021, this was 41%.

The highest usage rates are found in Vorarlberg (71%) and Tyrol (65%), while Vienna lags significantly behind at 34%. E-bikes are especially popular among people aged 50 and older, but younger cyclists also show interest. For 68% of e-bike owners, their riding behavior has changed due to the electric assistance—they ride more often or cover longer distances. A look at bicycle sales figures shows that e-bikes are the biggest sales driver, generating up to 75% of total revenue through e-bike sales.

Cargo bikes in Austria, however, are still at the beginning of their development—only about one in ten cyclists has experience with them. Interest is growing especially among younger adults aged 16 to 39, indicating significant growth potential.

The full “Active Mobility Report 2024” includes additional detailed analyses of usage patterns, motivations, infrastructure, and accident statistics for cycling and walking, beyond the results presented here. In addition to a sample survey of 2,500 people, the Graph Integration Platform (GIP) was used as a data source. A total of 18,723 kilometers of cycling infrastructure were recorded using the “8-80” approach, meaning infrastructure usable for people aged eight to 80 years. These results once again highlight the importance of expanding safe and continuous infrastructure to promote positive developments. The study by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action (BMK) provides important foundations for implementing the “Masterplan Cycling 2030” and complements the mobility survey “Österreich unterwegs.”

All graphics shown come from the study.