NISRA logo
DfC logo

Experience of sport by adults in Northern Ireland
Findings from the Continuous Household Survey 2023/24

An Official Statistics publication
Published by: Analytics Division

Contact: Analytics Division
Email:
Tel: 028 9051 5424
Coverage: Northern Ireland
Frequency: Annual
Publication Date: 31 October 2024

Main Stories

  • In 2023/24, just over half of all adults (51%) had participated in sport within the last year, an increase on the 2022/23 figure of 48%.
  • More than three-quarters (77%) of adults had participated in sport or physical activity (i.e. participated in sport or walked for recreation) in the last year, with 74% doing so in the previous 4 weeks.
  • In 2023/24, men were more likely to have participated in sport within the last year compared to women (58% and 44%, respectively).
  • Around seven in every ten adults who had participated in sport cited “improved physical health” (73%), “keep fit” (72%) and “improved mental health” (68%) as benefits of participating.

Introduction

Among other policy areas, the Department for Communities (DfC) has responsibility for the development of sport and physical recreation in Northern Ireland. DfC develops sport policy, provides funding for sport and supports sports initiatives. In 2022, DfC in collaboration with other government departments, councils, Sport NI and a wide range of stakeholders, developed Active Living - the new Sport and Physical Activity Strategy for Northern Ireland. The Active Living Strategy builds on the success of the previous strategy, Sport Matters.

This bulletin follows a headline bulletin released in July 2024 and provides findings from the 2023/24 Continuous Household Survey on the experience of sport by adults in Northern Ireland. These findings are used to inform the development, monitoring and evaluation of policy. More information relating to the CHS, methodology, definitions and the interpretation of the figures can be found in the Definitions & technical notes section. Data tables are available in Excel and ODS format. The questions that were asked in the CHS 2023/24 are available here.

Note: Data collection for the 2023/24 CHS was carried out using a mix of telephone and face-to-face interviewing modes, a similar approach to that used in 2022/23. For 2020/21 and 2021/22 data collection was by telephone interviewing due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. There was also a reduction in the number of questions between 2020/21-2022/23. As a result, the figures from 2020/21 onwards are not directly comparable to previous years due to the significant changes to the survey in terms of methodology and content. More information is available on the NISRA website.

Lead statistician: Amy Lewis


Sport participation

In 2023/24, just over half of all adults (51%) participated in sport at least once within the last year, an increase on the 2022/23 figure of 48%. When looking at sport participation at least once in the previous 4 weeks, over four out of every ten adults (44%) had participated, an increase on the 2022/23 figure of 40%.


Note: The results from the 2020/21-2023/24 are not directly comparable to previous years due to the significant changes to the survey in terms of methodology and content. A question on sport participation within the previous 4 weeks was not included in CHS 2020/21.

Sport club membership

Just over a quarter of adults (27%) were a member of a sports club or organisation within the previous year, this is the highest proportion recorded across the trend period.


Gender and sport participation

In 2023/24, women (44%) were less likely to have taken part in sport at least once within the last year than men (58%). Similarly, when looking at participation rates over the previous four weeks, just under two-fifths of women (38%) stated that they had taken part in sport compared to just over half of all men (51%).

Furthermore, men were more likely to be a member of a sports club than women (35% and 18% respectively).


Sport preferences of men and women

There were differences in the types of sports men and women participated in within the last year. Compared with women, a higher proportion of men participated in 8 of the 12 sports listed in the survey. Sports with the most notable differences include ‘Football’, ‘Cycling for recreation’, ‘Golf or pitch and putt’ and ‘Jogging/running’.

Women were more likely than men to have participated in two of the 12 sports listed. These were ‘Keep fit/aerobics/yoga/dance exercise/weight training’ and ‘Swimming or diving’.

There were no differences between men and women for ‘Bowls, indoor or outdoor‘ and ‘Racket sports (tennis, badminton, squash)’.


Age and Sport participation

In 2023/24, adults aged 45 and over were less likely to have participated in any sport within the last year (37%) or within the last 4 weeks (32%) compared to adults aged 16-44 years (64% and 55% respectively).

More detailed analysis of sport participation in the last year by age group shows no difference between adults aged 16-24 years (72%) and adults aged 25-34 years (67%). The participation rate decreased for those aged 35-44 years (59%) and was similar for those aged 45-54 years (55%). The participation rate then decreased with each subsequent age group to 26% of those aged 65 and over.

Similarly, when looking at participation rates over the last 4 weeks, two-thirds of adults aged 16-24 (66%) had taken part in sport compared to just over a fifth of adults aged 65 and over (22%).


Sport preferences amongst younger and older adults

Adults aged 16-44 years were more likely to have participated in 9 out of the 12 sports listed compared to those aged 45 and over in the last year. The sports were there was no significant difference in participation between the age groups include “Golf or pitch and putt”, “Bowls or tenpin bowling” and “Angling or fishing”.

When looking at participation in sport over the last 4 weeks, the results were similar. However, a higher proportion of adults aged 45 and over had participated in “Golf or pitch and putt” or “Bowls or tenpin bowling” in the last 4 weeks compared to those aged under 45.


Disability and sport participation

In 2023/24, adults who have a disability were less likely to have taken part in sport at least once within the last year (30%) compared with those who do not have a disability (59%).

A similar disparity was found when participation rates over the last four weeks were considered, with just under a quarter of those with a disability (23%) having taken part in sport compared to over half of adults who do not have a disability (53%).

Furthermore, a lower proportion of adults with a disability were members of a sports club compared to those who do not have a disability (13% and 32% respectively).


Disability and age

Disability and age are closely related. On balance, the older we become the more likely we are to have a disability. Results have also shown that age and sport participation are negatively correlated, as we get older, the less likely we are to participate in sport.

Considering age and disability, analysis was conducted on broad age groups under 50 years and 50 years and over. The results show that both younger and older adults who have a disability were less likely to participate in sport within the previous year than those who do not have a disability. This suggests that irrespective of age, disability negatively affects the likelihood of adults participating in sport.

When participation rates over the last four weeks were considered, the results were similar.


Deprivation and sport participation

In 2023/24, adults living in the most deprived areas in Northern Ireland were less likely to have participated in sport within the previous year (41%) or within the last 4 weeks (35%) than those adults living in the least deprived areas (63% and 54%, respectively). Similarly, those living in the most deprived areas were less likely to be a member of a sports club (18%) than those living in the least deprived areas (32%).


Differences in sport preferences by deprivation

Differences in sport preferences were examined among those living in the most and least deprived areas in Northern Ireland. Those living in the least deprived areas were more likely to have participated in 8 of the 12 sports listed within the previous year.

Some of the sports showing significant differences between the two groups were ‘Keep fit/aerobics/yoga/dance exercise/weight training’ (32% v 18%), ‘Golf or pitch and putt’ (14% v 3%) and ‘Jogging/running’ (18% v 8%).

Considering participation rates over the previous 4 weeks shows that adults living in the least deprived areas were more likely to have taken part in six of the sports listed compared to those who lived in the most deprived areas. Adults who lived in the most deprived areas were more likely to have participated in ‘Basketball or netball’ than those in the least deprived areas over the previous 4 weeks.


Benefits of participating in sports

Around seven in every ten adults who had participated in sport over the last year cited “Improved physical health” (73%), “Keep fit” (72%) and “Improved mental health” (68%) as benefits.

Other benefits cited for taking part in sport include “Have fun” (40%), “Made me feel better about myself” (38%) and “Lose weight” (27%).

Only 3% of all adults who had participated stated that they had experienced no benefits as a result of participating in sport in the last year.

Considering benefits of participation in sport by gender, men were more likely than women to have stated “Have fun”, “Opportunities to make friends”, “Enabled me to communicate with family/ friends”, “Mixed with people with different backgrounds to myself”, “Learned new skills/ developed existing skills”, “Developed skills as a team player”, “Developed leadership skills” and “Helped me gain a qualification” as the main benefits of participating. Women, on the other hand, were more likely than men to cite “Lose weight” as a benefit they experience from participation in sport.


Walking for recreation

‘Walking for recreation’ is not included in the overall sport participation figures. Just over three-fifths of adults (61%) had walked for recreation within the previous year. In contrast to the demographic pattern seen with the overall sport participation rates, a higher proportion of women (67%) than men (55%) had walked for recreation.

Just over a quarter of adults (26%) had not participated in sport but had walked for recreation within the previous year. As with the previous results a higher proportion of non-sport participating women (32%) had walked for recreation than non-sport participating men (20%).

More than three-quarters (77%) of adults had participated in sport or physical activity (i.e. participated in sport or walked for recreation) in the last year, with 74% doing so in the previous 4 weeks. A similar proportion of men and women had participated in sport or physical activity in the last year (78% and 76% respectively) and in the previous 4 weeks (74% and 73% respectively).

When considering age groups, the pattern is also somewhat different than that seen when analysing sport participation. Walking for recreation rates peak among the 45-54 year age group (69%), whilst rates for 65 years and over were higher than those for adults aged 16-24 years (57% and 49% respectively).


There were further differences in the proportions of adults walking for recreation when analysed by deprivation and disability. A lower proportion of adults who have a disability walked for recreation within the previous year (50%) than those without a disability (65%).

Similarly, adults living in the most deprived areas were less likely to have walked for recreation compared to adults living in the least deprived areas (52% and 73% respectively).

Regular participation in sport or physical activity

Adults in Northern Ireland were asked how many days per week do they normally take part in sport or physical activity (i.e. participated in sport or walked for recreation). Whilst over three-quarters of all adults (77%) had participated in sport or physical activity at least once within the previous year, 48% normally participated in sport or physical activity at least one day per week, with just over a fifth (22%) normally participating on 4 or more days per week.

When looking at adults who participated in sport or physical activity at least one day per week, the proportion was lower for women, older adults, adults with a disability and adults living in the most deprived areas.

Local Government District

In 2023/24, around three in every five adults living in these areas had participated in sport in the previous year; Lisburn and Castlereagh (60%), Ards and North down (58%), Belfast (57%) and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (57%). In contrast, Derry City and Strabane had the lowest proportion of adults participating in sport in the previous year (35%).

Definitions & technical notes

Continuous Household Survey

The Continuous Household Survey is a Northern Ireland wide household survey administered by Central Survey Unit, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The sample for this survey consists of a systematic random sample of 8,940 addresses selected from the Land and Property Service’s list of private addresses. The findings reported for 2023/24 are based on 4,927 respondents, aged 16 and over.

Note: Data collection for the 2023/24 CHS was carried out using a mix of telephone and face-to-face interviewing modes, a similar approach to that used in 2022/23. For 2020/21 and 2021/22 data collection was by telephone interviewing due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. There was also a reduction in the number of questions between 2020/21-2022/23. As a result, the figures from 2020/21 onwards are not directly comparable to previous years due to the significant changes to the survey in terms of methodology and content. More information is available on the NISRA website.

Weighting the Continuous Household Survey

Analysis of the sport module of the CHS has been weighted for non-response. A chi square goodness-of-fit test showed that the CHS sample (4,927) was not representative of the population by age and sex when compared with the 2022 Mid Year Estimates for Northern Ireland (NISRA 31 August 2023). As a result, separate weights were produced for age, sex and age and sex combined.

Non-response weighting sometimes increases standard errors, although the impact tends to be fairly small, i.e. the adjustment may be less or greater than 1, but will generally be reasonably close to 1. In the case of the culture, arts and sport modules of the CHS, the values of the adjustment for all three weighting systems are so close to one, it is not necessary to take account of this in the calculation of standard error and confidence intervals.

While weighting for non-response (also called post-stratification) should reduce bias, it must be acknowledged that it will not eliminate bias. The reasons individuals choose to take part in surveys are complex and depend on lots of factors specific to the individual. As a result, the non-response biases in surveys are likely to be complex. Post-stratification works on the assumption that, by aligning the survey to the population along a small number of dimensions such as age and gender, many of these complex biases will reduce. However, it would be misleading to suggest that they will be eliminated.

Statistical significance in this report

Any statements in this report regarding differences between groups are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. This means that we can be 95% confident that the differences between groups are actual differences and have not just arisen by chance. The base numbers, sizes of percentages (relating to low self-efficacy and loneliness) or variance of scores (relating to wellbeing) have an effect on statistical significance. Therefore on occasion, a difference between two groups may be statistically significant while the same difference in percentage points or mean score between two other groups may not be statistically significant. The reason for this is because the larger the base numbers or the closer the percentages are to 0 or 100 or the smaller the variance in scores, the smaller the standard errors. This leads to increased precision of the estimates which increases the likelihood that the difference between the proportions or mean scores is actually significant and has not just arisen by chance.

Official Statistics

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. Contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards - email:analyticsdivision@communities-ni.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Other notes

The following should be noted when interpreting figures and tables:

  • Percentages less than 0.5% are denoted by ‘0’ and where there are no responses, they are denoted by ‘-’.
  • Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding.
  • Percentages may not add to 100% for questions where multiple responses are allowed.
  • Detailed tabulations are not provided where the number of respondents is too small to allow meaningful analysis.
  • The base number of responses to each question, which is shown in each table, is the unweighted count. The base may vary due to some respondents not answering certain questions.