The bar chart illustrates the proportion of people in the United Kingdom who expressed interest in six different sports—football, swimming, rugby, snooker, tennis, and golf—across three years: 1995, 2000, and 2005.
Overall, football remained the most popular sport throughout the given period, with a steady increase in interest. In contrast, golf consistently had the lowest percentage of interest and saw a slight decline. Meanwhile, the popularity of other sports fluctuated, with swimming and rugby experiencing notable variations.
Football had the highest percentage of interest, starting at approximately 40% in 1995 and rising steadily to around 44% by 2005. On the other hand, golf, which had the lowest percentage, began at about 26% and experienced a slight decline of around 2% over the decade.
Among the remaining sports, swimming and rugby displayed noticeable fluctuations. Swimming saw a gradual increase in popularity, peaking at nearly 30% in 2000 before experiencing a slight decline in 2005. In contrast, rugby started at around 22% in 1995, dropped to its lowest point at under 20% in 2000, and then rebounded in 2005.
Snooker and tennis followed a similar trend. Both sports had their highest levels of interest in 1995, with snooker at just over 25% and tennis slightly below 25%. However, their popularity declined sharply by 2000 and remained stable at approximately 20% in 2005.