Ipsos B&A research finds that almost 2 million adults in Ireland participate in sport every week
The Irish Sports Monitor (ISM) 2023 Annual Report was launched at an event at the Sport Ireland campus on Tuesday, May 28th. The report shows that significant recovery has been made to sports participation levels since they declined during the pandemic period. Just under 2 million people participate in sport every week, which is almost half (47%) of the adult population. This is the highest level of sport participation recorded in Ireland.
• Almost half (47%) of the population participate in sport each week.
• 84% of the population have participated in sport at some point in their life, while just 16% have never participated in sport.
• Sport participation among women (46%) reached an all-time high, increasing by 6 percentage points since 2022 (40%). Sports participation among men (49%) also increased by 4 percentage points (45%).
The Irish Sports Monitor (ISM) is a long-standing and comprehensive survey that measures sports participation across Ireland. As set forth in the National Sports Policy (NSP 2018-2027) the survey measures recreational and competitive sport; recreational sport encompasses all forms of physical activity with the aim of enhancing physical fitness, mental wellbeing, and fostering social relationships through casual or regular participation in sport. Competitive sport, on the other hand, refers to all forms of physical activity that strive for physical fitness improvement and competitive success through organised participation.
Data for the ISM has been collected since 2007 and collected by Ipsos B&A since 2014, providing an established series of cross-sectional studies of the sports landscape. Findings from ISM 2017 were used to set the baseline figures for the NSP 2018-2027 and since then the survey has continued to collect and report on data that shed light on the development of Irish sport.
A substantial sample size of 8,500 respondents per year allows for in-depth analysis across different population cohorts. This year’s report features spotlight chapters on age, gender, disability, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and the urban-rural divide in location. To account for and measure any potential seasonality effects on participation data, survey interviewing is spread out over the year.
Alongside the three core chapters (sports participation, social sports participation, and broader physical activity) this year’s report also includes a chapter on transitions in sport, exploring uptake and drop out in sport throughout the lifespan. Each year the survey incorporates flexible modules, results from which are also highlighted throughout the report. This year’s modules focus on understanding children’s sports participation and attitudes towards equal playing time for children.
Ipsos B&A is currently conducting fieldwork for the ISM 2024, which will monitor how sports participation continues to evolve.
For more information about this study please contact Kieran O’Leary, Ipsos B&A: kieran.oleary@ipsos.com
