4 in 10 Adults Lack Crucial Skill for Bike-First Future

In addition to the digital skills that will be needed in the future, certain physical skills could be useful to adapt to a changing world too. The writers of the OECD Skills Outlook 2023: Skills for a Resilient Green and Digital Transition note how cycling is not only beneficial for reducing the number of cars on the road and the subsequent GHG emissions produced, but as extreme heat becomes more prevalent, it could also offer a more efficient way for people to travel medium-length trips than walking, reducing prolonged exposure to heat. This will be particularly important, they note, for people who may not have access to a car.

But, as survey data from Ipsos shows, some countries are further along in their cycling uptake than others: Where 83 percent of respondents in Poland said that they knew how to ride a bicycle in 2022, the figure was just 36 percent among respondents in Saudi Arabia. That’s not to say that Saudis would not like to cycle more and that this will not change, as shown in this chart, where eight in ten respondents said that they would support new road and traffic infrastructure projects for bikes over cars in their area.