4. OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
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4.2 Factors Influencing Sport Participation
4.2.1 GENERAL FACTORS
As part of the most recent census, Statistics Canada prepared a special report on Sport Participation in Canada, which outlines a number of factors that influence the decision to participate in sport. Participation in sport is a cultural phenomenon; it arises from and expresses social values and is transmitted from one generation to another by example and parental involvement. Age, gender, family income, and level of education all affect whether an individual will have the opportunity, ability or interest to participate in a sport. Generally, higher income and educational levels are associated with greater participation in sport. Men participate in sport more than women do. Parents’ involvement also strongly influences whether their children will take up a sport. In sum, a young population will produce more athletes than an aging population, a rich country will produce more athletes than a poor one, and a well-educated population will be more active in sport than a less well-educated one.
In Canada, English-speaking and French-speaking populations do not differ significantly in any of the main factors influencing sport participation. The age profiles are virtually identical, and the gender breakdown is the same. Anglophones are slightly better educated and earn slightly more than Francophones, but these differences are not significant.11
The Statistics Canada study provides data by province, not by first official language. Although we cannot equate “Quebecker” with “French speaker” patterns of sport participation in Quebec will affect Francophone participation overall. The study shows that, in Quebec, a slightly higher proportion of the population participates regularly in sport activities than in the Canadian population generally (48.7% compared with 45.1% for the Canadian population overall). However, significantly fewer Quebeckers participate in sport through a club or organization (33.2% compared with 45.9% in the Canadian population). The same pattern holds for those who participate in sport competitions or tournaments: among sport participants in Canada, 32.8 percent have participated in competitions, while only 21.7 percent of participants in Quebec have done so. Since clubs, organizations, and formal competitions are the access route to high performance status, low participation in these activities in Quebec will clearly affect the number of Francophones at the highest levels of the competitive stream.
During our study, we heard several theories to explain why Quebeckers participate in sport in large numbers as individuals but in much lower numbers in formal competitive activities. Differing cultural values and differing histories of sport development in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada were frequently cited. Language issues were also mentioned, but rarely as a deciding factor.
