Young People's Engagement in sport and culture

Measuring participation in organised sport

The Sport & Culture Team are currently managing a project on behalf of the DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) which measures how much time young people aged 5-19 spend participating in organised sport, both inside and outside of school time.

This study has been commissioned by the DCSF to enable the full measurement of PSA 22 - The percentage of 5-16 year olds participating in at least 2 hours a week of high quality PE and sport at school and the percentage of 5-19 year olds participating in at least 3 further hours a week of sporting opportunities.

The survey is conducted via the Young People's Omnibus (LVQ Research Ltd), which involves placing questions on the face-to-face in-home Omnibus survey on a monthly basis. Around 11,250 young people aged 5-19 in total will be interviewed over 12 consecutive waves, the first of which started in March 2008.

The three key measures which data from the survey produces are:

• The percentage of 5-19 year olds participating in organised sport during school time in the last 7 days
• The percentage of young people aged 5-19 participating in organised sport outside of school time in the last 7 days
• The percentage of young people aged 5-19 participating in five or more hours of organised sport inside and/or outside of school during the last 7 days

Results of the survey are not yet publicly available.

Older projects

Young People and Sport

The Young People and Sport surveys (1994, 1999, 2002) established in-school and out of school sports participation levels among children of all ages. These large-scale projects comprised research among over 3,000 young people and interviews with Heads of PE. Aside from establishing trend data on the proportion of children participating in specific sports, the 2002 survey also identified common groups of children - from the "Sporty types" (around 25% of children) to the "Couch potatoes" (9%).

Reviewing 'Positive Futures'

For three years, on behalf of the Home Office, Ipsos MORI conducted a monitoring and evaluation study of Positive Futures - a social inclusion initiative. The scheme aims to support some of the most at risk young people within England, by engaging them in sport and providing opportunities to access education, training and employment, and to develop key life skills. Ipsos MORI's bi-annual project audits provided the Home Office with essential information relating to the operating environment of each project, together with data and qualitative information about the type of involvement and key achievements of the young people. In some cases, the research has been used by the projects to provide evidence of their achievements, as well as identify areas where change and additional support is required. In doing so, the Positive Futures initiative can continue to grow and reach out to more young people.