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Learning to Cycle: A Cross-Cultural and Cross-Generational Comparison
Rita Cordovil1, Cristiana Mercê1,2, Marco Branco1,2
1Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudo da Performance Humana, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
Frontiers in Public Health
|May 16, 2022
Summary
People learn to cycle at different ages depending on their country and generation. Across generations, the age at which individuals learn to cycle has decreased, influenced by environmental and cultural factors.
Area of Science:
- Motor Skill Acquisition
- Developmental Psychology
- Cultural Anthropology
Background:
- Learning to cycle is a key childhood milestone.
- Cycling popularity and skill development vary globally and historically.
- Environmental and cultural factors influence cycling acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of country of residence on learning to cycle age.
- To examine the impact of birth generation on cycling acquisition age.
- To explore the interplay between country and generation in learning to cycle.
Main Methods:
- Online survey conducted between November 2019 and December 2020.
- 9,589 responses collected from adults and children across 10 countries.
- Participants categorized into three generations: 1960-79 (Gen X), 1980-99 (Gen Y), and 2000-2019 (Gen Z).
Main Results:
- Significant effects of country and generation on cycling learning age were found (p < 0.001).
- Netherlands, Finland, and Belgium had the youngest learning ages; Brazil and Mexico had the oldest.
- Cycling learning age has decreased across generations, with a small country x generation interaction effect.
Conclusions:
- Learning to cycle is influenced by socio-ecological factors: individual, environmental, and temporal.
- Findings support the perspective that cycling acquisition is a complex process.
- Cross-cultural and generational differences highlight the dynamic nature of foundational skill development.
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