Why me?
It is important that a broad cross-section of the Danish population participates in the survey so that all groups are represented: men and women, children, young people, adults, and the elderly, as well as both very active and less active people. This is the only way we can get an accurate picture of the physical activity habits of the Danish population. In 2020, more than 163,000 people participated in the survey.
The selection is made at random by Statistics Denmark, which extracts random civil registration numbers (CPR numbers) from the Danish Civil Registration System (CPR). These individuals then receive an invitation letter in their digital mailbox. Children receive their invitation letter in their parents' digital mailbox.
No. We want everyone to respond, regardless of their level of physical activity. The questionnaire is also aimed at those who do not participate in sports and exercise. We are interested in all types of experiences related to physical activity. Most people are active in some way at home, during their commute, or at work, and many are also active in their free time.
The University of Southern Denmark is a public authority and is therefore required to use Digital Post (in accordance with the Danish Act on Digital Post from Public Senders, section 7). Using digital mail is also faster and more sustainable than sending physical letters.
Participation is 100% voluntary.
However, we hope you will contribute to building knowledge about how and how much people move, and the reasons for their activity. This knowledge enables the creation of better opportunities for physical activity throughout the country.
To see examples of how the results from our first survey in 2020 are being used to illustrate physical activity in Denmark, visit our online database (din Danish) or read articles about the many analyses based on the survey (in Danish).
Only if you wish to. In the questionnaire, you have the option to agree to participate in a panel. After a few years, we will contact panel members again with an offer to complete a new questionnaire. This allows us to track the development of the Danish population's physical activity habits over time.
If you do not wish to receive further invitations for supplementary surveys, we will, of course, always respect your decision. If you wish to be completely removed from the survey, you can find information on how to do so in your invitation letter.
However, it should be noted that since participants are drawn randomly from the population, the same person could be selected again the next time we send out the questionnaire, even if they have previously declined to participate in the panel. If this should happen, we will, of course, still respect a wish not to participate.
Besides Denmark in Motion, SDU is conducting several other surveys, including a large survey on the upcoming municipal election called "Dit valg, vores Danmark" (Your Choice, Our Denmark).
The surveys are not related to each other, and your selection for multiple surveys is a complete coincidence.
Participants are randomly selected, so the likelihood of two people from the same immediate family both being invited is low, but it can happen. A small part of our survey is sent to a parent and a child in the same family. In these cases, they have been intentionally selected together.
The survey is open until the end of November 2025. However, our automated process will send you a reminder after approximately 10 days, and possibly another one, if you have not yet completed the questionnaire.
You can read more about protection in the Danish Civil Registration System here
If you wish to be removed from our survey, your invitation letter contains information on how to request this.
What is "Moving Denmark"?
Moving Denmark is a large-scale population survey first conducted in 2020. It is conducted by the Centre for Research in Sports, Health and Civil Society at the University of Southern Denmark and is supported by Nordea-fonden.
The project has exclusively scientific purposes and no commercial interests.
Physical activity is a central part of most people's lives. This is both because many people find great joy and value in being physically active, and because many daily tasks (at work, at home, and during the commute) require us to use our bodies.
The survey will be used to generate more knowledge in this area, in order to promote opportunities for more people to be physically active—if they wish to be. Based on an analysis of responses from their residents, each municipality will receive a number of suggestions for how they can create better conditions for more people to be active.
Once the responses have been collected and analysed, we will publish various notes, reports, articles, and videos about the overall results of the study. Researchers will also regularly inform the public about the main progress and results via the project website, TV stations, newspapers, magazines, and online media. The results will also be published in scientific journals.
Here you can read a number of articles about the results of the 2020 survey (in Danish), and you can also find a number of reports and notes (in Danish).
All 98 municipalities in Denmark will receive a report analysing the physical activity habits in their specific municipality. Researchers will then visit each municipality to present the results and make suggestions on what the municipality can do to create better opportunities for residents to be active, should they wish. You can find the 98 municipal reports from the 2020 survey (in Danish).
Yes, Moving Denmark has been notified to and approved by SDU RIO, the unit at the University of Southern Denmark that authorises the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data in research projects. This means that Moving Denmark complies with the requirements of the Danish Data Protection Agency and the GDPR. The project has also been assessed and approved by the Danish Research Ethics Committee.
Only the researchers behind the survey have access to the data. If other researchers wish to use the data for analysis, they must receive permission from the Moving Denmark research team and the legal department at SDU RIO. Data can be shared as long as the purpose is research-related. In such cases, data will be provided without names, addresses, CPR numbers, or other information that could identify participants.
To ensure our questions are as relevant as possible, we have sought advice and guidance from professionals at sports organisations, the Danish Health Authority, patient and health organisations, and from colleagues at various research institutions. It will continue to be important for us to ensure the project's high professional standard through ongoing collaboration with skilled colleagues in Denmark and abroad.
What do you do with my data?
We treat your information confidentially and in accordance with applicable law. Only the relevant researchers at the University of Southern Denmark have access to your answers. All research results will be disseminated in an anonymised form. This means that no one, apart from the project's researchers, can see how any individual has responded.
If you want to see the report your municipality received based on the 2020 survey, you can find it here (in Danish). You can also find information on physical activity habits, broken down by municipality, in our database: Data om bevægelse (in Danish).
The information will be deleted or anonymised no later than five years after the project's conclusion, unless you have given consent in the questionnaire to be contacted again, for example, for an interview or to participate in a panel. In that case, we will store your information so we can track your activity over time.
In our analysis, we will link participants' responses with information already available in public registers. This is done through a process called 'register linkage', which is performed in a way that ensures 100% discretion for each participant. We retrieve information from registers to ensure that the results are as robust and comprehensive as possible. We never publish results where your individual answers can be recognised.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to send your answers to you or provide them in any other way. For research purposes, the right of access does not apply to data included in scientific studies. This means you cannot access your own or others' answers after they have been submitted.
If you wish to remember your answers, we recommend that you take notes as you go or use the print function at the end of the questionnaire.
The Questionnaire
Try copying and pasting the link directly into your internet browser's address bar. Please be careful not to paste it into a search field (e.g., Google).
If it still doesn't work, please contact us by email at dk-i-bev@health.sdu.dk or call our hotline at 6550 8762 (see opening hours) so we can assist you.
No, the survey is conducted online only.
The first part of the questionnaire can be completed in approximately 15 minutes. This may vary, as some answers will trigger follow-up questions.
The optional section at the end can be completed in approximately 5 minutes.
Yes, if you click the link in your invitation letter or enter your code at www.datafabrikken.dk, you will return to the questionnaire, which should open at the point where you left off. Once you have answered the final question and exited the survey, the system will register your submission as complete, and you will no longer be able to edit your answers.
Yes. Developing the questionnaire is a long process that takes several months. It is critically reviewed by our stakeholder group and our scientific advisory group.
The questionnaire has also gone through a phase of in-depth, 'cognitive' interviews with a number of people of different genders and ages, and with widely different experiences of physical activity.
Finally, the questionnaire is tested on smaller populations in pilot studies. All of these tests help ensure that the questionnaire is as accurate and comprehensive as possible, so we do not waste participants' time.
Prizes and Prize Draw
Prizes of 14 x DKK 10,000 and 6 x DKK 5,000 will be drawn.
Everyone who completes the entire first part of the questionnaire is entered into a draw for the 14 prizes of DKK 10,000. Everyone who answers the optional extra questions at the end is entered into an additional draw for the 6 prizes of DKK 5,000.
As soon as the survey closes in early December 2025, the draw will be held, and winners will be notified directly via Digital Post. The prize is paid out from the University of Southern Denmark via your NemKonto (Easy Account).
No, the prize is tax-free. As you are participating in a large, nationwide survey, the prize draw is covered by the Danish Gambling Act, section 3(2), and all duties to the authorities are covered by 'Moving Denmark' in accordance with the Danish Act on Taxes on Gambling, section 15: "Spil uden indsats" (Games without a stake).
The prize is paid from the University of Southern Denmark via your NemKonto (Easy Account) at your bank.
Contat
Moving Denmark is a large-scale population study, and we hope this website has answered most of the questions that may arise.
If you would like to get in touch with us, you can email the researchers at dk-i-bev@health.sdu.dk.