The bar chart compares the percentage of people interested in six sports in the UK in three different years, 1995, 2000 and 2005.
In general, people in the UK were mostly attracted by football, as its figures were reported to be the highest throughout the period. It is also noticeable that football, swimming, and rugby experienced upward trends, while the reverse pattern was seen in snooker, tennis, and golf.
Regarding the sports with increased public interest, in 1995, football was the most popular sport, attracting approximately 41% of respondents, whilst about 23% and 21% of people expressed their preference for rugby and swimming, respectively. Over the next ten years, football persistently topped the list, rising to approximately 45% by 2005. Meanwhile, swimming’s popularity peaked at around 29% in 2000, before falling to 25% in 2005. However, rugby recorded a significant decline to 19% by 2000, before surging to 25% in the final year.
As for the remaining sports, in 1995, a similar level of interest was seen in snooker and tennis, with respective figures of 30% and 29%, closely followed by golf, at about 25%. In the following years, people showed less interest in snooker and tennis, with the former decreasing to 22% and the latter declining to 21% by 2005, making them the sports with the least popularity. Finally, the level of interest in golf was relatively stable in the last ten years, despite undergoing some minor fluctuations, hovering around 25%.