Family affluence an important predictor of sports participation among secondary school students

Largest differences by family affluence

Of the students from families with low affluence, 79 percent participate in sports weekly. 47 percent are members of a sports club. Among students from families with high affluence, 95 percent participate in sports weekly. 80 percent are members of a sports club. Students from families with medium affluence fall between these figures on both counts.

Migration background widens differences

Students from families with low affluence and a ‘non-Western’ migration background participate in weekly sports least often (74%). They are also least likely to be members of a sports club (37%). The combination of migration background and gender also plays a role. Relatively few girls with a ‘non-Western’ migration background participate in sports weekly (78%) or are members of a sports club (47%).

Differences by education level, age and migration background have decreased

In addition to affluence and migration background, education level and age also influence sports behaviour. Students in the higher general secondary education/pre-university education tracks participate in weekly sports more often and are more often members of a sports club than pre-vocational secondary education students. And 12–14-year-olds participate in sports more often than 15- and 16-year-olds.

These differences were also found in earlier HBSC surveys, but they became smaller in 2021. This is due to a decline in sports and sports club participation among students in the higher general secondary education/pre-university education tracks, students without a migration background and 12–14-year-olds. Sports participation among pre-vocational secondary education students remained virtually unchanged. That of students with a ‘non-Western’ migration background increased slightly.

Research using HBSC data

For this study, the authors used Dutch data from 2005–2021 from the ‘Health Behaviour in School-aged Children’ (HBSC) study by the Trimbos Institute and Utrecht University. This is a broad, international study into the health and well-being of school students. It takes place once every four years. More than 5,000 Dutch students participate in each survey year.

Read here the report ‘Sports participation among secondary school students’ by Angelina Gómez Berns, Rens Cremers and Agnes Elling.