The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Youth Sport Participation Levels

Abstract

According to Cairney et al. (2015), participating in organized sport and physical activities has the potential to offer children numerous health and social benefits. Because of the importance of sport participation, it is vital to understand what impacts sport participation levels. The purpose of this case study is to measure the impact of socioeconomic status on sport participation levels of children and adolescents. Previous research has indicated that socioeconomic status (SES) influences sport participation levels among children and adolescents. Research indicates that children from families with a higher SES are more active in sports than children from families with a lower SES (Rittsteiger et al., 2021). The case study utilized a survey to measure the impact of SES on sport participation levels on youth. The survey was distributed via a youth sports organization director in a midwestern city in the United States, with 10 surveys being collected from parents with children. The results indicate that children with a higher socioeconomic status had higher rates of sport participation. Strategies should be developed by the community to promote and facilitate the sport participation of children and adolescents with a low socioeconomic status. Due to the limited scope of the study, more research should be done to understand the impact of socioeconomic status on youth sport participation in a broader region.