Previous studies have shown that people have positive images of sports and exercise. However, explicit attitudes sometimes differ from implicit attitudes that people subconsciously have. This study aimed to examine the effect of implicit attitudes（measured using the Implicit Association Test）and explicit attitudes（measured using a self-report）toward sports and exercise among Japanese young adults. We asked how frequently they actually and ideally played sports or exercised. The data analysis showed that only explicit attitudes toward sports and exercise were positively related to their actual and ideal frequencies. The lack of relationship could be attributed to the sample’scharacteristics; working adults with limited free time may face difficulties in connecting their attitudes and actions. Another interpretation could be a problem specific to the reaction time measurement screen. Moreover, explicit and implicit attitudes had a weak positive relationship.
