Sports Participation and

Ethnicity in England

National Survey 1999/2000

Headline Findings

Nick Rowe/Ross Champion Sport England

Sport England Research 16 Upper Woburn Place
October 2000 London
SE/1073 WC1H 0QP
© Sport England Tel: 020 7273 1500
Fax: 020 7383 5740
Email:
[email protected]
www.english.sports.gov.uk
Sports participation and ethnicity in England 1999/2000

Headline Findings – Executive Summary

The survey

• This survey, carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of
Sport England, provides for the first time national statistics on the levels of
participation in sport, previous sporting experiences and sporting aspirations of
people from ethnic minority communities in England.

• The survey is part of Sport England’s continuing commitment to better understand

the extent and causes of inequity in sporting opportunities for certain groups in the
population and ways to overcome them. The findings from the survey have
relevance to all Sport England’s areas of work but are especially important for its
‘Active Communities’ programme, which seeks to extend sporting opportunities
for all.

The methods

• The findings are based on a random sample of 3,084 adults (aged 16 years and
over) from ‘non white’ ethnic minority communities who were interviewed in their
homes during the period June 1998 to March 2000. Respondents were identified
initially through ONS’s large scale Labour Force Survey and its monthly Omnibus
Survey. The survey was carried out to the highest quality standards in relation to
sampling, survey administration and analysis.

• The results of the survey are comparable with national population averages
obtained from the sports participation questions included in the 1996 General
Household Survey (GHS). It is the comparison with national averages that
enables over or under-representation of the levels of participation in sport by
ethnic minority groups to be established and priority areas for action to be
identified. Unless specified otherwise, participation in sport is defined as having
taken part in sport or physical activities on at least one occasion in the previous
four weeks excluding walking.

• All methods of classification inevitably simplify the diversity that exists between
different groups and within the groups themselves. Large-scale surveys of this
kind, however, require categorisations to be made in order that results can be
presented in a way that is statistically acceptable. For the purposes of the survey
respondents were classified in the following ‘ethnic groups’: ‘Black Caribbean’;
‘Black African’; ‘Black Other’; ‘Indian’; ‘Pakistani’; Bangladeshi’; ‘Chinese’; and
‘Other non white’. This enabled comparison with the GHS.

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The findings

What are the overall levels of participation in sport by ethnic minorities and
how do these compare with the population as a whole?

• For ethnic minority groups overall the participation rate in sport is 40% compared
with a national average of 46%. The overall participation rate for male ethnic
minorities is 49% compared with a national average for men of 54% and for
female ethnic minorities it is 32% compared with a national average for all women
of 39%.

• On average Black Caribbean (39%), Indian (39%) and in particular Pakistani

(31%) and Bangladeshi (30%) populations have rates of participation in sport
below those of the national average (46%). Only the ‘Black Other’ group (60%)
has participation rates higher than found in the population as a whole.

• Black African men (60%) and ‘Black Other’ men (80%) have higher participation
rates than the national average for all men (54%) while Indian (47%), Black
Caribbean (45%), Bangladeshi (46%) and Pakistani (42%) men are less likely to
participate in sport than men generally.

• National participation rates for women (39%) were matched or exceeded by

women from ‘Black Other’ (45%), ‘Other’ (41%) and Chinese (39%) ethnic groups
while women who classified themselves as Black Caribbean (34%), Black African
(34%), Indian (31%), and Bangladeshi (19%) had participation rates below the
national average for all women.

• The gap between men’s and women’s participation in sport is greater amongst
some ethnic minority groups than it is in the population as a whole. The
‘inequality gap’ between men and women nationally is 15 percentage points
whereas for the ‘Black Other’ ethnic group it is 35 points (although overall this is a
relatively high participant group), for Bangladeshis it is 27 points, Black Africans
26 points, and Pakistanis 20 points.

Which sports do different ethnic minority groups take part in and how do they
compare with national averages?

• Levels of participation in walking amongst ethnic minorities are significantly below

those for the population as a whole. At the lowest end, only 19% of the
Bangladeshi population takes long walks regularly compared with 44% of the
population as a whole. These low activity levels are of particular concern when
viewed in the context of the high incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity
amongst certain ethnic groups (all health problems in which regular physical
activity has been proven to have a positive impact).

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• For all groups, apart from the Bangladeshi population, ‘keep fit/aerobics/yoga’
features as the second most popular activity and this is boosted in particular by its
popularity amongst women. Keep fit is by far the most popular activity after
walking for women from all ethnic groups (keep fit ranks as the third most popular
sport amongst the population as a whole and tied second amongst all women).

• Swimming has a lower ranking in participation amongst most ethnic minority

groups (from as low as seventh in the case of the Black Caribbean population and
sixth in the case of Black Africans and ‘Black Others’) than it does amongst the
population as a whole where it ranks second in ‘popularity’ behind walking.

• Overall ethnic minorities are less likely to take part in swimming than the
population as a whole. Black Caribbean, Black African and ‘Black Other’ men
have particularly low levels of participation, reaching as low as 2% for ‘Black
Other’ men which is 11% less than for men in the population as a whole. Women
from Pakistani, Black Caribbean and Bangladeshi ethnic groups have particularly
low levels of participation in swimming, as low as 5% for Pakistani women
compared with a national average of 17% for all women.

• Participation in football amongst males from ethnic minority groups is relatively

high. This is particularly the case amongst Black males with participation rates as
high as 31% amongst the ‘Black Other’ ethnic group, which is three times the
national average (10%). Given the publicity about the lack of representation of
Asian footballers at the highest levels it is interesting to see that participation
amongst these groups is around the national average and exceeds it in the case
of Pakistani men (16%).

• There are a number of instances where sports have relatively high levels of
participation amongst certain ethnic minority groups. These include:

Men
• Weight training amongst Black males with participation rates of
23% for the ‘Black Other’ group, and 12% for both Black
Caribbeans and Black Africans which compares with 9% for the
population as a whole.
• Running/jogging amongst ‘Black Other’ (18%), and Black African
men (15%), which is higher than for males generally (7%).
• Self-defence/martial arts by Black Other’ males (11%) and Black
Caribbeans (6%) which compares with an average for all men of
1%.
• Badminton by Chinese men (17%), which compares with an
average of 3% for all men.
• Cricket by Pakistani (10%), ‘Black Other’ (8%), and Indian (6%)
men, which compares with the average for all men of 2%.
• Basketball amongst Black Caribbean (4%) and Black African (4%)
males which compares with a population average for men of 1%;
and
• Carram-board amongst Bangladeshi men (4%), which compares
with less than 1% in the male population as a whole.

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 Women

• Running/jogging amongst Black African (11%), Black Caribbean

(4%) and ‘Other’ (4%) ethnic group women, which compares with
the average for all women of 2%.
• Weight training by Black Caribbean women (7%) which compares
with a national average of 3%
• Self-defence/martial arts by Chinese women (3%), which
compares with a national average of less than one percent for
women generally.
• Basketball amongst Black Caribbean women (3%), which
compares with an average participation rate of less than one
percent for all women.
• Gymnastics amongst Black African women (3%), which compares
with a national average of less than 1%.
• Track and field athletics by Black African women (2%) compared
with a participation rate for women nationally of less than 1%.
• Cricket by Bangladeshi (2%) and Pakistani (2%) women, which
compares with an average for women generally of less than 1%.

How many people from ethnic minority groups would like to participate in a
sport that they do not currently take part in?

• A large proportion of individuals from all ethnic groups say that they would like
to take up a sport in which they currently do not participate. This ranged from a
high of 81% for the ‘Black Other’ group to 51% of the Bangladeshi community
(Black African 79%; ‘Other non white’ 72%; Black Caribbean 65%; Chinese
61%; Indian 60%; and Pakistani 54%).

• Swimming rates very highly amongst men and women from all ethnic groups
as a sport they currently don’t participate in that they would like to, and rates
are higher generally for women than men. The levels of ‘frustrated demand’
reach as high as 31% for Black African women and it is amongst women that
we see swimming feature the most prominently. Even amongst Asian women
the levels of interest in swimming are high with 22% of Indian, 21% of
Bangladeshi and 16% of Pakistani women saying they would like to take part
in swimming. These levels of interest should be set alongside the relatively low
levels of participation in swimming amongst most ethnic groups described
earlier.

• Keep fit/aerobics/yoga also rates highly for many ethnic minority groups as a
sport they would like to take part in which they currently do not do. This is
particularly the case for Black African women (26%), ‘Black Other’ women
(25%), Black Caribbean women (22%) and Indian women (19%).

• Interest in taking part in football features prominently for Black African men
(19%), Bangladeshi men (18%), ‘Black Other’ men (13%), Pakistani men (8%),
Indian men (8%) and men in the ‘Other’ ethnic group (8%).

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• Many males from ethnic minorities say they would like to take part in motor
sport activities with percentages as high as 18% for ‘Black Other’ men, 13%
for Chinese men, 11% for those men classified in the ‘Other’ ethnic group and
5% for Indian and Pakistani men.

• Another sport, which many ethnic minorities do not participate in currently, but
say they would like to take part in, is self-defence/martial arts. This applies to
men and women with the greatest interest being shown by ‘Black Other’
women (17%), Black African men (12%), Black Caribbean women (12%),
Bangladeshi women (11%), Black Caribbean men (10%) and Chinese men
(9%).

• Tennis appears to have considerable potential for growth amongst many

ethnic groups and for both men and women. This is particularly the case
amongst the Black African population with 15% of men and 11% of women
saying they would like to take part.

• Cricket features prominently for men in all ethnic groups apart from Black
African, ‘Black Other’, ‘Other’ and Chinese groups. Interest in playing cricket
is at its highest amongst Pakistani and Black Caribbean men (12%) followed
by Indian men (11%) and Bangladeshi men (8%).

• Badminton is another sport for which there is a high level of interest for men
and women in many ethnic groups but particularly amongst women. For
example 13% of Chinese women, 12% of Indian women, 11% of women in the
‘Other’ ethnic group and 10% of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean
women say they would like to take part in badminton. Amongst men it is the
Bangladeshi’s who show the greatest interest in badminton with 17% saying
they would like to take part.

What prevents ethnic minorities participating in the sports they would like
to do?

• ‘Home and family responsibilities’, ‘work/study demands’, ‘lack of local

facilities’, ‘lack of money’ and ‘I am lazy/I am too embarrassed’ are the
reasons most frequently given amongst all ethnic groups for not taking part.
Home and family responsibilities rank particularly high amongst the Indian and
Bangladeshi communities with 43% and 40% respectively of these groups
giving this reason for not taking part. The Bangladeshi and ‘Black Other’
populations are most likely to refer to problems with lack of/ unsuitable local
facilities with 48% and 45% of these groups respectively giving this reason.
Lack of money is given by 25% of the ‘Black Other’ group and 24% of Black
Caribbeans.

• For men (where sample sizes allow analysis) ‘work/study demands’ rate as the
most frequently cited reason for not taking part with 49% of Indian men, 45%
of Pakistani men and 38% of Black Caribbean men giving this as a reason.

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• Women are more likely than men to give ‘home and family responsibilities’ for
not taking part. Almost half of all Indian women (49%) along with 45% of ‘Black
Other’ women, 44% of Pakistani women, 43% of women in the ‘Other’ ethnic
category, 41% of Black Caribbean women and 40% of Black African women
give this as a reason.

Negative experiences in sport due to ethnicity

• Generally men are more likely than women to say that they have had a
negative experience in sport that is due to their ethnicity but this may partly
reflect the fact, as seen earlier, that more men take part in sport than women.

• ‘Black Other’ men are the group most likely to say that they have had a
negative experience with one in five saying that this is the case. Amongst
women the ‘Black Other’ ethnic group also had the largest percentage saying
that they had had a negative experience (approximately one in seven).

• Chinese men and women are the least likely of all the ethnic groups to feel
that they have had a negative experience in sport that they considered was
due to their ethnicity.

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Sports participation and ethnicity in England national survey 1999/2000

Headline findings

Introduction

Promoting access and opportunity for all sections of the population to take part in
sport is the central philosophy and objective of Sport England. Although sport plays a
significant role in the nation’s psyche and touches most, if not all people in some way
throughout their lives, there is ample evidence to show that for certain groups in the
population levels of participation and involvement in sport are lower than might be
expected. There is considerable research evidence to show, for example, that young
people take part in a lot more sport than older people, that women generally are less
likely to participate in sport than men and that people from lower socio-economic
backgrounds are less likely to participate than their counterparts in the middle and
upper socio-economic groups.

Anecdotal evidence backed up by small-scale studies, often of a qualitative nature,

suggest that ethnic minorities generally have relatively low levels of participation in
sport. To date, however, these assertions have not been backed up by any large-
scale empirical studies. They have also tended to be generalised to apply to ‘ethnic
groups’ as a whole implying a homogeneity that fails to recognise the levels of
diversity of culture, background and experience that exist between different ethnic
groups.

It was because of this lack of sound measurement of the extent of inequality in

participation in sport amongst ethnic minorities that Sport England commissioned the
Office for National Statistics (ONS) to carry out the first-ever national survey of
‘Sports participation and ethnicity in England’. The results from the survey help to
focus attention on the real extent of inequality and provide some pointers as to the
reasons why it may exist. The findings will assist with establishing strategic priorities
and enable targets to be set to increase levels of participation amongst certain
groups. In addition the findings will help to identify where further qualitative research
is required in order to better understand the causes of inequality where it may exist
and ways to overcome it.

Some background to the survey

The survey of sports participation and ethnicity was commissioned in order to:

• Provide robust statistical data on the levels and patterns of sporting

participation among ethnic minority groups in England to be compared
with participation behaviour among the general population.

• Explore the factors that influence sporting behaviour among ethnic

minorities. In particular to explore and as far as possible to disentangle
issues to do with choice, motivation, and those related to opportunity
and access and possibly to racial discrimination.
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In total there were 3,084 adult (16 years and over) ‘non white’ respondents to the
survey. Because of the methodology applied, calculating response rates to this
survey is necessary complex. Initial response rates to the “Omnibus Survey” sample
range between 63% and 70% and for the Labour Force Survey sample the initial
response rate was 54% (see paragraph below). Notwithstanding, this study still
provides the largest ever sample of ethnic minorities to be surveyed on this subject.
The survey was carried out by face- to- face household interviews.

Obtaining this large sample size whilst ensuring that people were selected on a
random basis required a very demanding methodology. The approach taken was to
identify ethnic minority populations through two other general population surveys with
large sample sizes. The two surveys from which individuals from ethnic minority
groups were identified were the Labour Force Survey and the ONS Omnibus Survey.
In the case of the Omnibus Survey eligible individuals were asked questions about
sports participation as part of the wider Omnibus questionnaire whilst in the case of
the Labour Force Survey eligible respondents were followed up at a later date.

The surveys were carried out over the period from June 1998 to March 2000 in order
to pick up the sample in a number of survey ‘waves’. Spreading the surveys over time
enabled the seasonal impact of participation in sport to be accounted for in the
overall estimates. The responses from the survey have been weighted up to be
representative of ethnic minority groups in England as a whole. As with any surveys
there are sampling errors associated with the statistics presented in this report and
these are discussed more fully in the technical report of the survey.

The primary requirement of the survey was to replicate the methodology and
questions on sport used in the General Household Survey (GHS) to enable
comparisons to be made with the averages for the population as a whole. As a
consequence the core questions in the survey concerning participation in sport were
the same as asked in the 1996 GHS. In addition to these core questions other
questions were asked on spectating, reading about sport and watching sport on
television, motivational factors and influences on sports participation, access to
facilities, sports they would like to take part in, barriers/reasons for not participating in
sports, experience of participating in sport during their school years and immediately
after leaving school, and experiences of discrimination in sport.

Defining ethnicity

Defining ethnicity is fraught with methodological problems. Any label that is given to a
‘group’ in society will inevitably simplify the diversity that exists between different
individuals in that group. This applies in particular to ethnicity where religion, culture,
values, language, generation, age, gender, length of residence in a country and
nationality all play a part in creating considerable diversity of experiences,
expectations, ways of life and behaviours.

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Carrying out a national quantitative survey and establishing a pragmatic approach to
social policy and practice has required, however, that people be classified into broad
‘ethnic groups’. The approach taken in this survey was dictated by the need to
preserve comparability with the GHS. All respondents to the survey were asked to
select the ethnic group to which they belonged from a list on a showcard. The groups
listed were:

1. White
2. Black Caribbean
3. Black African
4. Black Other
5. Indian
6. Pakistani
7. Bangladeshi
8. Chinese
9. None of these

A disadvantage of this method of classifying ethnicity is that a large minority of

respondents - 17% in the present survey - chose ‘none of these’ when asked to
select the ethnic group to which they belong. Because of this and because it was
thought to be important to allow them to describe their ethnicity in their own words,
respondents to the survey were also asked:

“And how would you describe your ethnic origin”

In this report those individuals who report ‘none of these’ were classified in the ‘other’
group. Further analyses will be possible using self-assessed descriptions of ethnicity
to gain additional perspectives on inequality and how it impacts on different groups.
This analysis has, however, focused on the standard groups used in the GHS to
enable comparisons with national averages to be made and inequalities in
participation to be identified.

Definition of participation in sport

Throughout this report, unless specified otherwise, participation in sport is defined as
having taken part in sport or physical activities on at least one occasion in the
previous 4 weeks excluding walking. This is a standard definition used by Sport
England and is consistent with the wide definition recognised by the Council of
Europe. Participation in sport in this instance does not include participation in
refereeing, umpiring or coaching, which is measured separately.

Respondents were provided with a ‘showcard’ list of over 40 sports and physical
activities to choose from and could add other activities if not included on the list.

A full technical report of the methodology and copies of the questionnaire are
available from Sport England Research.

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Overall participation in sport

One of the primary objectives of this survey was to identify whether there is any
difference in the levels of participation in sport by ethnic minority groups compared
with the population as a whole. Figure 1 shows the overall levels of participation in
sport for different ethnic groups and how this compares with the national averages.

Figure 1

Participation in at least one activity (excluding walking)

over the last 4 weeks (all respondents)

100
90
80
Percentage

70 60
60
50 44 45 46 46
39 39
40 31 30
30
20
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The survey results show that:

• For ethnic minority groups overall the participation rate in sport is 40%
compared with a national average of 46%.

• Only the ‘Black Other’ ethnic group have participation rates higher than the
national average at 60% compared with 46%. Those classifying themselves in
the ‘Other’ ethnic category, as Chinese, and as Black African have rates of
participation equivalent to national figures (46%, 45% and 44% respectively).

• Black Caribbeans (39%), Indian (39%) and in particular Pakistani (31%) and
Bangladeshi (30%) populations have participation rates significantly below
those found amongst the population as a whole.

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In addition to looking at the population as a whole a further analysis of participation
has been carried out looking at men and women separately. The overall participation
rate for male ethnic minorities is 49% compared with a national average for men of
54% and for female ethnic minorities it is 32% compared with a national average for
all women of 39%.

Figures 2 and 3 show that:

• Black African (60%) and ‘Black Other’ (80%) men have higher participation
rates than the national average (54%)

• Indian (47%), Black Caribbean (45%), Bangladeshi (46%) and Pakistani (42%)
men are less likely to participate in sport than men in the population as a
whole.

• National participation rates for women (39%) are matched or exceeded by

women from ‘Black Other’ (45%), ‘Other’ (41%) and Chinese (39%) ethnic
groups.

• Women who classify themselves as Black Caribbean (34%), Black African

(34%), Indian (31%), Pakistani (21%) and Bangladeshi (19%) have
participation rates below the national average for all women.

• As expected, and found in the population as a whole, men from ethnic minority
groups are more likely to take part in sport than their female counterparts.
However, the survey results show that for some ethnic groups the gender
differences in favour of men are greater than for the population as a whole.
The ‘inequality gap’ between men and women nationally is 15 percentage
points whereas for the ‘Black Other’ ethnic group it is 35 points (although
overall this is a relatively high participant group), for Bangladeshis it is 27
points, Black Africans 26 points, and Pakistanis 21 points.

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Figure 2

Participation in at least one activity (excluding walking)

over the last 4 weeks (all men)

100
90 80
80
Percentage

70 60
60 54 51 54
50 45 47 42 46
40
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Figure 3

Participation in at least one activity (excluding walking)

over the last 4 weeks (all women)

100
90
80
Percentage

70
60
50 45
39 41 39
40 34 34
31
30 21 19
20
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(Appendices 1a -1c highlight participation rates in the top ten sports in the 4 weeks
before the interview for all respondents).

Participation in walking
The figures presented above are the levels of participation in sport excluding walking.
Walking (particularly on a frequent basis and at a brisk speed) has, however, been
identified as an important contributor towards an active and healthy lifestyle.
Participation in walking has been defined in the survey as ‘walking or hikes of at least
2 miles or more’.

Figure 4 below shows how the levels of participation in walking (at least once in the
previous 4 weeks) vary between different ethnic groups and how this compares with
the population as a whole. The results of the survey show that:

• Levels of participation in walking amongst ethnic minorities are significantly

below those for the population as a whole. At the lowest end, only 19% of the
Bangladeshi population regularly take long walks compared with 44% of the
population as a whole

• When gender differences are examined the levels of participation in long walks
is, except amongst the Chinese, lower for women than for men. The lowest
participation rate is amongst Bangladeshi women with 16% taking part
compared with a national average for all women of 41%. Pakistani women
(21%) and Indian women (25%) are also notable for their low levels of
participation although it should be noted that the sample ‘bases’, for these
statistics are small.

Figure 4

Participation in walking in 4 weeks before the interview

(all respondents)

50 44
45 42
40 37 36
34
Percentage

35 31
28
30 24
25 19
20
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Given the importance of walking as a means of exercise and its general benefits to
health these low levels of activity must be of some concern. There is other evidence
13
to suggest (see the 1999 Health Survey for England) that physical activity levels
amongst these groups are not boosted in other areas, for example through
occupational activity or activity in and around the home, and we have already seen
that levels of regular participation in sport are relatively low for many of these groups.

There is considerable research evidence to show that a sedentary lifestyle increases

the risk of heart disease and stroke, the onset of diabetes and, particularly amongst
women the likelihood of suffering from osteoporosis (brittle bone disease). Inactivity
is also associated with obesity and all the health problems that go with it.

The 1999 ‘Health Survey for England’ commissioned by the Department of Health,
showed that Black Caribbean and Indian men were two thirds more likely to have a
stroke than males in the population as a whole and that all male minority groups
apart from Chinese men had higher rates of heart attack than the general population.
The incidence of diabetes was also found to be high for many groups with the highest
rates of diabetes found among South Asians: for example the rates of diabetes
among Pakistani and Bangladeshi women were over five times higher than in the
general population. While levels of obesity were generally lower amongst ethnic
minority groups compared with the population average, this was not the case for
Black Caribbean or Pakistani women who were respectively 1.8 and 1.5 times more
likely to be obese than women generally.

Which sports do ethnic minority groups take part in?

Information was collected on participation in a wide range of sports and physical
activities. Overall if ‘walking’ is included, there were 28 sports in which at least 1% of
one of the 8 different ethnic groups surveyed had taken part. This is greater than the
19 sports in which at least one percent of the population overall participated. The only
sport that had more than one percent of at least one ethnic group participating but
does not feature in the national statistics is ‘carram–board’. Sports that have more
than one percent of the population as a whole taking part but where no ethnic groups
have at least one percent taking part include bowls, fishing, table tennis, squash and
horse riding.

The main findings from the survey may be summarised as follows:

• As expected walking or hiking 2 miles is the most ‘popular’ activity amongst all
ethnic groups as it is amongst the population as a whole, however, as seen
earlier, the levels were still relatively low.

• For all groups apart from the Bangladeshi population, ‘keep fit/aerobics/yoga’
features as the second most popular activity and this is boosted in particular
by its popularity amongst women. Keep fit is by far the most popular activity
after walking for women from all ethnic groups (keep fit ranks as the 3rd most
popular sport amongst the population as a whole and tied 2nd amongst all
women).

• Snooker/billiards/pool features very high in the rankings and ranges in overall

popularity from number two in the ranking for the Bangladeshi population to
number six for the Chinese population. The overall ranking for snooker is
14
 boosted by its popularity amongst men where it ranks as the 2nd or 3rd most
popular sport for all groups (snooker ranks as the 4th most popular sport
amongst the population as a whole and 2nd amongst men).

• Swimming has a lower ranking in participation amongst most ethnic minority

groups (from as low as seventh in the case of the Black Caribbean population
and sixth in the case of Black Africans and ‘Black Others’) than it does
amongst the population as a whole where it ranks second in ‘popularity’
behind walking (a more detailed analysis of swimming is provided below).

Figures 5 to 14 provide a detailed analysis of the highest participant sports looking at

each ethnic group separately and comparing participation rates with the population
as a whole. The main findings are:

Swimming

Figure 5

Participation in swimming in 4 weeks before the interview

(all men)

25

20
Percentage

14
15 13

10 10
10 8
6 6
4
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Figure 6

Participation in swimming in 4 weeks before the interview

(all women)

25

20 18
Percentage

17
16
15 12
10
9
10 8
6
5
5

0
an

i
i

S
an

an

er
sh

se
an
he

H
th
be

ric

di

de

ne
st

G
ot

O
In

ki
Af
rib

la

hi
k

Pa
ac

ng

C
ca

k
ac

Bl

Ba
k

Bl
ac
Bl

• Overall ethnic minorities are less likely to take part in swimming than
the population as a whole. Figure 5 shows that Black Caribbean, Black
African and ‘Black Other’ men have particularly low levels of
participation reaching as low as 2% for ‘Black Other’ men which is 11%
less than for men in the population as a whole. Amongst women from
most ethnic groups participation in swimming is again lower than the
population average (see Figure 6). In the case of women it is the
Pakistani, Black Caribbean and Bangladeshi ethnic groups that have
particularly low levels of participation, as low as 5% for Pakistani
women compared with a national average of 17% for all women. These
findings are consistent with those found in Sport England’s survey of
the use of local authority swimming pools carried out in 1997 which
found significant under-representation of many ethnic groups in the use
of these publicly provided facilities. Yet as we say later in this report
many ethnic minorities who currently do not swim say that they would
like to take part.

16
Keep fit/aerobics

Figure 7
Participation in keep fit in 4 weeks before the interview
(all men)

30

25
Percentage

20 18

15 13
11
10 8 8 7 8 7

5 2

0
an

i
r

S
an

an

er
se
sh
an
he

H
th
be

ric

di

ne
de
st

G
ot

O
In

ki
Af
rib

hi
la
k

Pa
ac

ng

C
ca

k
ac

Bl

Ba
k

Bl
ac
Bl

Figure 8
Participation in keep fit in 4 weeks before the interview
(all women)

30
24 30
Percentage

25 22 23
20
20 18 17

15 11
10
10
5
0
an

i
i

S
an

an

er
sh

se
an
he

H
th
be

ric

di

de

ne
st

G
ot

O
In

ki
Af
rib

la

hi
k

Pa
ac

ng

C
ca

k
ac

Bl

Ba
k

Bl
ac
Bl

• Figure 7 shows that amongst Black male ethnic groups participation

rates in keep fit/aerobics (which also includes yoga) are relatively high
compared with the national average. For the ‘Black Other’ group it
reaches as high as 18 %, which is considerably higher than the national
average of 7%. At the other end of the spectrum Bangladeshi men are
less likely to take part in keep fit than men generally.

17
 • Keep fit/aerobics is particularly popular amongst many women from
ethnic minority groups as demonstrated in Figure 8. In the ‘Black Other’
group the rate of participation reaches as high as 30%, which is
approaching double the participation rates for the female population as
a whole. Participation in keep fit is, however, relatively low amongst
Pakistani (10%) and Bangladeshi (11%) women who have participation
rates of about one third of those for the ‘Black Other’ group.

Football

Figure 9

Participation in football in 4 weeks before the interview

(all men)

35
31
30
Percentage

25
20
20 16
14 13 14
15 11 12
10
10
5
0
an

i
r

S
an

an

er
se
sh
an
he

H
th
be

ric

di

ne
de
st

G
ot

O
In

ki
Af
rib

hi
la
k

Pa
ac

ng

C
ca

k
ac

Bl

Ba
k

Bl
ac
Bl

18
Figure 10

Participation in football in 4 weeks before the interview (all

women)

35
Percentage

30
25
20
15
10
3 4
5 1 1 2 2 2 1
0
0

er
an
an

S
i
r

se
an

an

sh
he

H
th
ne
ric
be

di

de
st

G
ot

O
In

ki
Af

hi
rib

la
k

Pa

C
ac

ng
ca

k
ac

Bl

Ba
k

Bl
ac
Bl

• Figure 9 shows that participation in football amongst males from ethnic

minority groups is relatively high. This is particularly the case amongst
Black males with participation rates as high as 31% amongst the ‘Black
Other’ ethnic group, which is three times the national average. Given
the publicity about the lack of representation of Asian footballers at the
highest levels it is interesting to see that participation amongst these
groups is at around the national average and exceeds it in the case of
Pakistani men.

• The participation rates for football amongst women from ethnic minority
groups are higher than might have been expected with 4% of Black
African women having participated and 3% of Black Caribbean women.
These figures may reflect a general growth in interest and participation
in football amongst young women that was evident from Sport
England’s 1999 survey of ‘Young People and Sport’. This survey
showed significant increases in participation amongst girls generally
between 1994 and 1999. In this instance, therefore, the 1996 GHS,
which found 1% of women taking part in football, may provide a slight
underestimate of the national participation levels in 1999/2000.

19
Snooker/billiards and pool

Figure 11

Participation in snooker in 4 weeks before the interview

(all men)

30
30
25
Percentage

20
18 18 18
20 17
14
15
11 11
10

S
i
an

an
an

er
r

se
an

sh
he

H
th
ric

ne
di
be

G
st

de
ot

O
In

ki
Af

hi
rib

la
k

Pa

C
ac

ng
ca

k
ac

Bl

Ba
k

Bl
ac
Bl

Figure 12

Participation in snooker in 4 weeks before the interview

(all women)

30
25
Percentage

20
15
10 6
4 4 4
5 2 3
1 1 0
0
i
an

an

S
an

er
sh

se
an
he

H
th
be

ric

di

de

ne
st

G
ot

O
In

ki
Af
rib

la

hi
k

Pa
ac

ng

C
ca

k
ac

Bl

Ba
k

Bl
ac
Bl

20
 • Snooker/billiards and pool is particularly popular amongst males in the
‘Black Other’ ethnic group with 30% taking part compared with a
national average of 20% (see Figure 11). Amongst males in all the
other ethnic groups, although rating as a relatively high participant sport
(see the earlier discussion on ‘rankings’), the levels of participation are
low compared with the national average for men generally. Participation
in snooker by women from ethnic minorities is also generally low
compared with the population as a whole apart for the ‘Black Other’
group, but even here the level of participation is a fifth of what it is
among their male counterparts (see Figure 12).

Cycling

Figure 13

Participation in cycling in 4 weeks before the interview (all

men)
25
21
Percentage

20
16
15 13

10 8
7 7
5 5
5 2

0
S
i
an

an
an

i
r

er
se
an

sh
he

H
th
ric

di

ne
be

G
st

de
ot

O
In

ki
Af

hi
rib

la
k

Pa

C
ac

ng
ca

k
ac

Bl

Ba
k

Bl
ac
Bl

21
Figure 14

Participation in cycling in 4 weeks before the

interview (all women)

25
Percentage

20
15
10 8 8 8
4 4 6
5 2 1 0
0

S
an

se
an

er
an

i
sh
an
he

H
th
ne
ric
be

di

de
st

G
ot

O
In

ki
Af

hi
rib

la
k

Pa

C
ac

ng
ca

k
ac

Bl

Ba
k

Bl
ac
Bl

• Participation in cycling is relatively low for males from all ethnic groups
apart from the ‘Black Other’ group. The rates of participation in cycling
are particularly low amongst Bangladeshi men’ (2% compared with a
national average of 16%), Indian men (5%) and Pakistani men (5%).

• Among women, levels of participation in cycling are much lower than for
men (as is the case for the population as a whole) and in some cases,
such as for Bangladeshi women, extremely low at less than 1%. These
findings when combined with the low levels of walking discussed
earlier, heighten concerns about the impact of sedentary lifestyles on
the health and well being of many individuals from ethnic minority
groups.

In addition to those cases referred to above there are a number of instances

where a sport has relatively high participation rates among certain ethnic
groups compared to those found in the population as a whole. These include:

Men

• Weight training amongst Black males with participation rates of

23% for the ‘Black Other’ group, and 12% for both Black
Caribbeans and Black Africans which compares with 9% for the
population as a whole.
• Running/jogging amongst ‘Black Other’ (18%), and Black African
men (15%), which is higher than for males generally (7%).
• Self-defence/martial arts by Black Other’ males (11%) and Black
Caribbeans (6%) which compares with an average for all men of
1%.
22
 • Badminton by Chinese men (17%), which compares with an
average of 3% for all men.
• Cricket by Pakistani (10%), ‘Black Other’ (8%), and Indian (6%)
men, which compares with the average for all men of 2%.
• Basketball amongst Black Caribbean (4%) and Black African (4%)
males which compares with a population average for men of 1%;
and.
• Carram-board amongst Bangladeshi men (4%), which compares
with less than 1% in the male population as a whole.

Women

• Running/jogging amongst Black African (11%), Black Caribbean

(4%) and ‘Other’ (4%) ethnic group women, which compares with
the average for all women of 2%.
• Weight training by Black Caribbean women (7%), which compares
with a national average of 3%.
• Self-defence/martial arts by Chinese women (3%), which compares
with a national average of less than one percent for women
generally.
• Basketball amongst Black Caribbean women (3%), which compares
with an average participation rate of less than one percent for all
women.
• Gymnastics amongst Black African women (3%), which compares
with a national average of less than 1%;
• Track and field athletics by Black African women (2%) compared
with a participation rate for women nationally of less than 1%.
• Cricket by Bangladeshi (2%) and Pakistani (2%) women, which
compares with an average for women generally of less than 1%

Which sports would ethnic minority groups like to participate in?

In addition to asking about current levels of participation in sport, respondents to the
survey were asked to identify which sports they currently do not participate in that
they would like to. Although the answers have to be treated with some care, as stated
aspirations do not automatically result in behaviour change should opportunities be
provided, the results do provide an indication of preference and ‘latent demand’. As
such the findings point towards those sports that may provide the ‘best return on any
investment’ in seeking to achieve sports development outcomes aimed at increasing
participation by different ethnic groups.

Figure 15 shows the percentage of ethnic minorities who mentioned at least one
sport in which they currently don’t participate that they would like to, and Figures 16
to 23 show for each ethnic group the ‘top five’ sports that they would like to do given
the opportunity.

23
Figure 15

Sports, games and physical activities would like to have

participated in
(percentage of ethnic group mentioning at least one activity)

100
90 81
79
80 72
65
Percentage

70 60 61
60 54
51
50
40
30
20
10
0
an

se
er

er
an

an

sh
an
th

th
ne
ric
be

di

de
st
O

O
In

ki
Af

hi
ib

la
k

Pa

C
ar

ng
ac
k
ac
C

Ba
Bl
k

Bl
ac
Bl

Figure 16

Sports in which individuals would most like to

participate - Black Caribbean

35
Males
30
Females
25 21 22
20
15 12 12
10 10 9 10
10 7 6 7
3 4 4 4 4
5 1 0
0
ll

is
t

rts

a
g
ts
g
ke

ba

to

og
lin
in

nn
or
la
ric

in
et
yc

/y
sp

Te
dm
tia
m

N
C

fit
C
i

or
sw

ar

ep
Ba
ot
m

Ke
y

M
An

e/
nc
fe
de
lf
Se

24
Figure 17

Sports in which individuals would most like to

participate - Black African

35 31
Males
30 26
Females
25
19
20
15 15 14
15 11 12 11
9
10 6 7 7
4 4 4
5 1 1
0
rts

n
is
s

ll
g

g
er

ba
i

to
in

lin
og
nn
nn
cc

la
m

in

et
yc
/y
te
Te
so

tia

dm
im

N
fit

C
e

ar
sw
y

bl

ep

Ba
An

m
Ta

Ke
y

e/
An

nc
fe
de
lf
Se

Figure 18

Sports in which individuals would most like to

participate - Black Other
35
30 Males
25
25 Females
18 17 17 18
20
15 13 13
10 10 10
8
10 6
4 3
5 1 2
0 0
0
rts
g
ga

ll
An orts

g
er

is

ba
in

in

in
nn
Ke occ

la
yo

in

rid

et
sp

Te
ra

tia
it/

im

N
s

se
f

tt
or

ar
y

sw
ep

gh

r
ot

m
o
H
M

y
ei

e/

An
W

nc
fe
de
lf
Se

25
Figure 19

Sports in which individuals would most like to

participate - Indian

35
Males
30
Females
25 22
19
20
15 11 12
10
8
10 6 5 56 5 5 5 6
3 3 4
5 2
0 0
0

rts
a

C s
ep ton

ar ng
g

r
im t

sh
Sq s
sw ke

Ba cce

og

t
i
in

or
nn

la
li
ua
m

Ke min
ric

yc
/y

sp
Te
so

tia
fit
C

or
d
y
An

ot

m
M
y

e/
An

nc
fe
de
lf
Se

Figure 20

Sports in which individuals would most like to

participate - Pakistani

35
Males
30
Females
25
20 16
14 13
15 12
10 9
10 8
6 6 5 54 5
4 4 4
5 2 2 1 1
0 0
0
g

or r t s
n
t

is
sh

l
g

ts
dm r

a
ep bal
ke

Ba ce

m iftin
to
in

og

nn
or
ua

M al a
ric
m

in
c

et
sp

/y

Te
so

tl
q
im

N
C

fit
ti
S

nc i g h

ar
sw

y
An

ot
e

Ke
y

e/
An

fe
de
lf
Se

26
Figure 21

Sports in which individuals would most like to

participate - Bangladeshi

35
30 Males
25 21 Females
18 17
20
15 10 11
9 9 8 8 8 8
10 7
4 4
5 1 2
0
0

rts
n

is
g

ts
g
er

ke
to

in
in

lin

nn
or
cc

la
ric

at
m
in

yc

sp

Te
so

tia
dm

im

sk
C
C

or
ar
sw
y

e
Ba
An

ot

Ic
m
y

M
e/
An

nc
fe
de
lf
Se

Figure 22

Sports in which individuals would most like to

participate - Chinese

35
Males
30
Females
25
20 18
15
15 13 1313 13
10 9 9
10
5 5 5 5 45
5 2 2 2
0 0
0
)
rts
is

is
n

g
g
ts

es
g

c.
to

lin
ilin
nn

in

nn
or

et
la

ttl
in
m

yc
sp
Te

te

Sa
ki

g
tia
dm
im

C
in
/s
e
or

ar
sw

gg
ls
bl
Ba

ot

w
Ta

(jo
y

bo
e/
An

ng
nc

in

ni
np
fe

un
de

Te

R
lf
Se

27
Figure 23

Sports in which individuals would most like to

participate - Other

35
Males
30
Females
25
21
20 17
15 13
11 11 11 10
10
9 8 8
5 6
5 2 2
1 1
0
f

is
n
a
ts
g

er
ol

in
to
og

nn
in

or
G

cc

rid
in
m

/y
sp

Te
so

dm
im

fit

se
or
sw

y
ep

Ba

or
An
ot

H
Ke
y

M
An

The main findings are:

• A large proportion of individuals from all ethnic groups say that they would like
to take up a sport in which they currently do not participate. This ranged from a
high of 81% for the ‘Black Other’ group to 51% of the Bangladeshi community.

• Swimming rates very highly amongst men and women from all ethnic groups
as a sport they currently don’t participate in that they would like to, and rates
higher generally for women than men. The levels of ‘frustrated demand’ reach
as high as 31% for Black African women and it is amongst women that we see
swimming feature the most prominently. Even amongst Asian women the
levels of interest in swimming are high with 22% of Indian, 21% of Bangladeshi
and 16% of Pakistani women saying they would like to take part in swimming.
These levels of interest should be set alongside the relatively low levels of
participation in swimming amongst most ethnic groups described earlier.

• Keep fit/aerobics/yoga also rates highly for many ethnic minority groups as a
sport they would like to take part in which they currently do not do. This is
particularly the case for Black African women (26%), ‘Black Other’ women
(25%), Black Caribbean women (22%) and Indian women (19%). Because of
the way the question was asked it is not possible to differentiate between keep
fir/aerobics and yoga and it may the latter that is of particular interest to some
ethnic groups.

• Interest in taking part in football features prominently for Black African men
(19%), Bangladeshi men (18%), ‘Black Other’ men (13%), Pakistani men (8%),
28
 Indian men (8%) and men in the ‘Other’ ethnic group (8%).

• Many males from ethnic minorities say they would like to take part in motor
sport activities with percentages as high as 18% for ‘Black Other’ men, 13%
for Chinese men, 11% for those men classified in the ‘Other’ ethnic group and
5% for Indian and Pakistani men.

• Another sport that many ethnic minorities do not participate in currently, but
say they would like to take part in, is self-defence/martial arts. This applies to
men and women with the greatest interest being shown by ‘Black Other’
women (17%), Black African men (12%), Black Caribbean women (12%),
Bangladeshi women (11%), Black Caribbean men (10%) and Chinese men
(9%).

• Another sport that appears to have considerable potential for growth amongst
many ethnic groups, and for both men and women is tennis. This is particularly
the case amongst the Black African population with 15% of men and 11% of
women saying they would like to take part. Many other groups including ‘Black
Other’ men, ‘Other’ ethnic group women, Pakistani and Bangladeshi women
show considerable interest in tennis with about 10% in all these groups saying
they would like to take part. Once again it is interesting to set these figures
alongside the current levels of participation which do not exceed 2% for
women in any ethnic group and reach their highest for any group at 6% of
Black African men.

• Cricket features prominently for men in all ethnic groups apart from Black
African, ‘Black Other’, ‘Other’ and Chinese groups. Interest in playing cricket
is at its highest amongst Pakistani and Black Caribbean men (12%) followed
by Indian men (11%) and Bangladeshi men (8%).

• Badminton is another sport for which there is a high level of interest for men
and women in many ethnic groups but particularly amongst women. For
example 12% of Indian women, 11% of women in the ‘Other’ ethnic group and
10% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women say they would like to take part in
badminton. Amongst men it is the Bangladeshi’s who show the greatest
interest in badminton with 17% saying they would like to take part.

What prevents ethnic minorities from participating in the sports they

would like to do?
Those respondents to the survey who said they would like to participate in a sport,in
which they do not currently take part, were asked what had prevented them from
taking part in the last 12 months. The results are summarised in Figures 24 to 31.

29
Figure 24
Reasons why not participated in activity - Black Caribbean
(percentage of m ales and fem ales selecting that reason)

60
male
50 41 female
38
40 32
27 26 26
30
20 18 19
20 14
10
10 2
0

ey
ds

ed
s
s

m
ie
ie

on
an

ss
lit

ith
lit

rra
m

ci
bi

w
fa
de

of
si

ba
rt
on

e
ck

pa
y

m
bl
ud
sp

/e
La

ta

ke
st
re

ui

zy
ta
ns
k/
ily

la
or

to
/u
m

o
W

to
fa

of

on

I'm
&

ck

o-
e

La

N
om
H

Figure 25

Reasons why not participated in activity - Black African

(percentage of males and females selecting that reason)
60 male
50 female
40 39
40 36 36

30 24 23
18 20
20
7 9
10 5
1
0
ds

ey

e
s

ed
ie
ie

m
an

on

ss
lit
lit

ith
ci
bi

rra
w
fa
si

de

of

ba
on

rt
e

pa
y

ck

bl

m
sp

ud

ta

/e
La
re

ke
st

ui

zy
ta
ns
ily

k/

la
m

or

/u

to

o
fa

of

to
on
&

ck

I'm
o-
e

La
om

N
H

30
Figure 26

Reasons why not participated in activity - Black Other

(percentage of males and females selecting that reason)

60 male
50 45 44 female
41 41 47
40

30 26
23 23
20 14 12

10 4 4

0
ds
s

ey

ed
ie

ie

m
an

on

ss
lit

lit

ith
bi

ci

rra
m

w
fa
si

de

of

ba
on

rt
e

pa
y

ck

bl

m
sp

ud

ta

/e
La
re

ke
st

ui

zy
ta
ns
ily

k/

la
m

or

/u

to

o
fa

of

to
on
&

ck

I'm
o-
e

La
om

N
H

Figure 27

Reasons why not participated in activity - Indian

(percentage of males and females selecting that reason)
60
49 49 male
50 female

40 37 35
29
30 25
18
20
13 11 12
8 6
10

0
ds
s

ey

ed
ie

ie

m
an

on

ss
lit

lit

ith
bi

ci

rra
m

w
fa
si

de

of

ba
on

rt
e

pa
y

ck

bl

m
sp

ud

ta

/e
La
re

ke
st

ui

zy
ta
ns
ily

k/

la
m

or

/u

to

o
fa

of

to
on
&

ck

I'm
o-
e

La
om

N
H

31
Figure 28

Reasons why not participated in activity - Pakistani

(percentage of males and females selecting that reason)

60 male

50 45 female
44

40
31 29
30 25 25
20
20 14
8 6
10 4 5

0
ds

ey

e
s

ed
ie
ie

m
an

on

ss
lit
lit

ith
ci
bi

rra
w
fa
si

de

of

ba
on

rt
e

pa
y

ck

bl

m
sp

ud

ta

/e
La
re

ke
st

ui

zy
ta
ns
ily

k/

la
m

or

/u

to

o
fa

of

to
on
&

ck

I'm
o-
e

La
om

N
H

Figure 29
Reasons why not participated in activity - Bangladeshi
(percentage of males and females selecting that reason)

60
53 male
50 female
42 41
38
40

30
18 18 18 16
20 13
10
10
2 0
0
ds

ed
s

s
ey
ie

ie

m
an

on

ss
lit

lit

ith
bi

ci

rra
m

w
fa
si

de

of

ba
on

rt
e

pa
y

ck

bl

m
sp

ud

ta

/e
La
re

ke
st

ui

zy
ta
ns
ily

k/

la
m

or

/u

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32
Figure 30

Reasons why not participated in activity - Chinese

(percentage of males and females selecting that reason)

60 male
59
50 44 female

40 33
30 23 23 24
20 15 15 15 16
12
10 6

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Figure 31

Reasons why not participated in activity - Other

(percentage of males and females selecting that reason)

60 male
female
50 43
40 36
32
29 31
30
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20 13 15
11
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The findings from the survey show that:

• ‘Home and family responsibilities’, ‘work/study demands’, ‘lack of local

facilities’, ‘lack of money’ and ‘I am too lazy/I am too embarrassed’ are the
reasons most frequently given amongst all ethnic groups for not taking part.
33
 Home and family responsibilities rank particularly high amongst the Indian and
Bangladeshi communities with 43% and 40% respectively of these groups
giving this reason for not taking part. The Bangladeshi and ‘Black Other’
populations are most likely to refer to problems with lack of/ unsuitable local
facilities with 48% and 45% of these groups respectively giving this reason.
Lack of money is given by 25% of the ‘Black Other’ group and 24% of Black
Caribbeans.

• For men (where sample sizes allow analysis) ‘work/study demands’ rate as the
most frequently cited reason for not taking part with 49% of Indian men, 45%
of Pakistani men and 38% of Black Caribbean men giving this as a reason.
Lack of/ unsuitable local facilities is given as a reason for not taking part by
39% of Black African men, 29% of Indian men, 29% of men in the ‘Other’
ethnic group, 26% of Black Caribbean men and 25% of Pakistani men. ‘Lack
of money’ is given as a reason by 32% of black Caribbean men, 20% of
Pakistani men and 18% of Indian and Black African men.

• Women. are more likely than men to give ‘home and family responsibilities’ for
not taking part. Almost half of all Indian women (49%) along with 45% of ‘Black
Other’ women, 44% of Pakistani women, 43% of women in the ‘Other’ ethnic
category, 41% of Black Caribbean women and 40% of Black African women
give this as a reason. Lack of/ unsuitable local facilities ranks for most ethnic
groups as the second most frequently cited reason preventing women from
taking part in sport. Amongst the ‘Black Other’ group 44% give this as a
reason, whilst 26% of Black Caribbean and women in the ‘Other’ ethnic
category say this prevents them from taking part along with 25% of Indian,
23% of Black African and 25% of Pakistani women.

Negative experiences in sport due to ethnicity

Assessing levels of discrimination that might occur in sport and the reasons for it is
extremely complex and it is not possible to do this issue any justice in a broad
quantitative survey of this kind. It was considered appropriate, however, to at least
obtain a general indication of whether people from different ethnic groups feel that
their ethnicity has in some way impacted negatively on their experiences or
opportunities to take part in sport. Respondents to the survey were asked the
question, ‘Have you ever had a negative experience in sport which you believe was
due to your ethnicity?’ Table 1 below shows separately for men and women the
percentages of different ethnic groups that said that this was the case.

34
Table 1: Negative experience in sport due to ethnicity (% saying ‘yes’)

Black Black Black Indian Pakistani Bangla Chinese Other

Caribbean African -Other -deshi

Men 11 6 21 8 7 10 2 7

Women 6 2 14 1 3 9 0 3

Total 8 4 17 5 5 9 1 4

Base 207 104 61 435 245 60 54 220

(Men)
Base 269 148 86 447 262 81 61 295
(women)

The results of the survey show that:

• Generally men are more likely than women to say that they have had a
negative experience in sport that is due to their ethnicity but this may partly
reflect the fact, as seen earlier, that more men take part in sport than women.

• ‘Black Other’ men are the group most likely to say that they have had a
negative experience with one in five saying that this is the case. Amongst
women the ‘Black Other’ ethnic group also had the largest percentage saying
that they had had a negative experience (approximately one in seven).

• Chinese men and women are the least likely of all the ethnic groups to feel
that they have had a negative experience in sport that they considered was
due to their ethnicity.

Respondents to the survey were also asked to reflect on their experiences of sport at
school and were asked ‘What if anything deterred you from participating in sport in
school lessons’ and could select from a list which included a number of factors that
were directly related to their ethnicity. The results are shown in Table 2.

35
Table 2: Factors related to ethnicity that deterred participation in sport whilst at school (in
school lessons)

Black Black Black - Indian Pakistani Bangla Chinese Other

Caribb African Other -deshi
ean

Nothing – 74 71 72 68 60 74 54 64
enjoyed sport
at school
PE teachers 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1
insensitive to
cultural needs
Unfair 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0
treatment from
teachers due
to ethnicity
Unfair 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 1
treatment from
pupils due to
ethnicity
PE teachers 0 1 4 0 0 1 0 0
didn’t give me
attention due
to my ethnicity
Other related 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 2
to ethnicity
Base (all ethnic 471 247 147 875 497 141 112 517
minorities)

• Among all ethnic minority groups there was a majority who said that they
enjoyed sport at school and there was nothing that deterred them from taking
part in sport in school lessons. These percentages did range however from
74% of Black Africans and Bangladeshis down to 60% of Pakistanis and 54%
of Chinese.

• Only a small percentage of respondents referred to specific factors related to

their ethnicity that deterred them from participating in sport. However, 4% of
the ‘Black Other’ group said that they felt that ‘PE teachers did not give them
due attention due to their ethnicity’.

36
Conclusions
This report of the headline findings provides for the first time empirical evidence on
the levels of participation, involvement and attitude towards sport held by ethnic
minority communities in England. It paints an interesting picture that in many
instances confirms the relatively low levels of participation in sport by ethnic
minorities that has been indicated by other studies, and which many people believe
to be the case based upon personal experience or on anecdotal evidence provided
by others.

The low levels of participation in sport by many groups and in walking and cycling in
particular have been highlighted to be of particular concern from a health perspective.
This is particularly the case given other evidence on relatively low levels of physical
activity among many of these groups and the high incidence of heart disease, stroke
and diabetes.

An important message conveyed by the survey results, however, is that the picture is
a more complex one than many might imagine, with considerable variation in the
levels of participation between different ethnic groups, between men and women, and
between different sports. Some sports are notable for their under-representation of
certain groups while others have relatively high levels of participation.

The high levels of interest in sport as reflected in the numbers who responded to the
survey by saying that they would like to participate in sport given the opportunity,
make particularly interesting reading and raise broad issues about provision and
access. The results also challenge stereotypical views that suggest that low levels of
participation in sport (and in certain sports in particular) by certain groups are more a
reflection of culture and choice rather than other constraints such as provision,
affordability and access.

The survey touched on experiences to do with racial discrimination in sport. Although

variable in the extent to which this was identified as a problem, at its highest as many
as one in five said that they had had a negative experience in sport associated with
their ethnicity. However, even if only one percent of a group say that they had
negative experiences in sport related to their ethnicity it is one percent too many and
should be of concern to policy makers and providers of sporting opportunities in
England.

Sport England
October 2000

37
 Appendix1(a): Participation rates in the 4 weeks before the interview – Top ten sports ranked by GHS
(all respondents)

Active sports, games Black Caribbean Black African Black Other Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Chinese Other GHS
1
and physical activities 1996
% % % % % % % % %

Walking 34 1 37 1 36 1 31 1 24 1 19 1 28 1 42 1 44
Any swimming 6 7 7 6 12 6 11 3 8 4 8 3 8 4 15 2 15
Keep fit/yoga 19 2 17 2 24 2 13 2 9 2 7 5 16 2 15 2 12
Snooker/pool/billiards 9 3 8 5 16 3 10 4 6 5 10 2 5 6 10 4 11
Cycling 8 5 4 8 14 4 4 7 3 8 1 8 4 6 5 11
Weight training 9 3 7 6 12 6 5 6 4 7 6 6 3 9 6 5 6
Any soccer 8 5 11 4 14 4 7 5 9 2 8 3 5 6 6 5 5
Golf 0 0 2 1 0 0 3 9 1 5
Running (jogging etc.) 4 8 13 3 8 8 4 7 3 8 1 1 6 5 4
Tenpin
bowls/skittles 3 10 1 3 10 2 0 0 5 6 5 9 3
Badminton 2 2 3 10 4 7 3 8 3 7 10 3 3 10 2
Tennis 2 4 8 2 2 2 1 1 2 2
Table tennis 1 3 10 3 10 1 1 1 2 1 2
Cricket 0 0 3 10 3 10 6 5 2 8 0 1 1
Self defence/ martial
arts 3 10 2 5 9 2 1 0 3 9 2 1
Basketball 4 8 2 0 1 1 1 2 2 1
Carram-board 0 0 0 1 0 2 8 0 0 _

Base (=100%) 478 253 147 890 514 155 116 528 15696

1 - ranking of individual sports within each ethnic group

1
Participation on at least one occasion in the previous 4 weeks
38
Appendix 1 (b): Participation rates in the 4 weeks before the interview – Top ten sports ranked by GHS
(all male respondents)

Black
Active sports, games GHS
1 Caribbean Black African Black Other Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Chinese Other
and physical activities 1996
% % % % % % % % %
Walking 38 1 41 1 39 1 36 1 26 1 22 1 22 1 47 1 49
Snooker/pool/billiards 14 2 18 3 30 3 18 2 11 3 18 2 11 3 17 2 20
Cycling 13 4 8 7 21 5 5 8 5 8 2 9 7 5 7 8 15
Any swimming 6 7 4 10 2 10 4 10 4 8 5 6 7 14 3 13
Any soccer 14 2 20 2 31 2 13 3 16 2 14 3 11 3 12 4 10
Weight training 12 6 12 5 23 4 9 5 7 7 13 4 6 7 8 6 9
Golf 1 1 5 2 0 0 2 2 8
Keep fit/yoga 13 4 11 6 18 6 8 6 8 6 2 9 7 5 8 6 7
Running (jogging etc.) 5 9 15 4 18 6 5 8 5 8 2 9 2 9 5 7
Tenpin bowls/skittles 2 3 5 2 0 0 6 7 4 9 4
Badminton 3 9 3 3 5 8 4 10 4 6 17 2 4 9 3
Tennis 1 6 8 5 2 1 2 9 2 3 2
Any bowls 1 3 0 0 1 2 9 0 0 2
Table tennis 1 6 8 8 9 2 1 3 8 4 10 2 2
Squash 1 3 2 2 1 0 4 10 4 9 2
Weight lifting 1 4 10 3 3 1 0 0 1 2
Cricket 1 0 8 9 6 7 10 4 2 9 0 1 2
Self defence/ martial arts 6 7 4 10 11 8 2 2 0 2 2 1
Basketball 4 4 10 0 2 2 0 4 10 2 1
Canoeing 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 10 0 1
Carram board 0 0 0 1 0 4 6 0 0 -

Base (=100%) 209 104 61 437 248 66 54 226 7186

1 - ranking of individual sports within each ethnic group

1
Participation on at least one occasion in the previous 4 weeks

39
 Appendix 1(c): Participation rates in the 4 weeks before the interview – Top ten sports ranked by GHS
(all female respondents)

Active sports, games Black GHS

1 Black African Black Other Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Chinese Other
and physical activities Caribbean 1996
% % % % % % % % %

Walking 31 1 34 1 34 1 25 1 21 1 16 1 32 1 37 1 41
Any swimming 6 4 9 4 18 3 12 3 5 3 8 3 10 3 16 3 17
Keep fit/yoga 24 2 22 2 30 2 18 2 10 2 11 2 23 2 20 2 17
Snooker/pool/billiards 4 5 1 6 5 2 7 1 8 3 4 0 4 7 4
Cycling 4 5 2 8 8 4 4 4 1 8 0 8 4 6 4 8
Weight training 7 3 3 6 3 6 2 7 1 8 1 8 2 8 5 6 3
Any soccer 3 8 4 5 1 10 1 2 4 2 5 0 2 9 0
Golf 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 0 2
Running (jogging etc.) 4 5 11 3 1 10 3 5 1 8 0 2 8 4 7 2
Tenpin bowls/skittles 3 8 0 2 7 3 5 0 0 3 5 6 4 3
Badminton 0 1 2 7 2 7 2 4 2 5 3 5 2 9 2
Tennis 2 2 8 0 2 7 2 4 1 8 0 2 9 2
Weight lifting 2 1 1 1 0 0 2 8 1 1
Cricket 0 0 0 0 2 4 2 5 0 0 0
Self defence/ martial
arts 0 1 2 7 2 7 0 0 3 5 1 0
Basketball 3 8 0 0 1 0 1 8 0 2 9 0
Netball 2 0 0 1 0 1 8 2 8 1 1
Athletics - track & field 0 2 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gymnastics 1 3 6 0 1 1 8 1 8 0 1 0

Base (=100%) 270 149 87 454 266 89 62 303 8510

1 - ranking of individual sports within each ethnic group

1
Participation on at least one occasion in the previous 4 weeks
40