Purpose
This report focuses on the impact of socioeconomic deprivation on participation in play, active recreation and sport among people aged 5-plus.
Methodology
This is the second spotlight report on participation in play, active recreation and sport from the Active NZ survey, following the release of the Active NZ Main Report in June 2018. It focuses on understanding the impact of socioeconomic deprivation on participation by highlighting the differences (and similarities) in participation between people living in areas with high and low deprivation scores. It explores this through the lenses of age, gender and ethnicity.
This report uses data collected through the redesigned Active NZ survey over a two-year period (between 5 January 2017 and 4 January 2019) from 11 599 young people (aged between 5 and 17) and 52 188 adults (aged 18-plus). Please note that results have been drawn from two separate surveys and data sets: one for young people aged between 5 and 17 and one for adults aged 18-plus. Where commentary is included about differences between young people and adults, comments are based on observations rather than statistical testing between the two data sets.
Within the two data sets, reported differences between the total result and sub-groups are statistically significant at the 95 percent confidence level. Significance testing means we can be sure that the differences reported are not due to random variation, because we are using a sample and not conducting a population census. Knowing that a difference is statistically significant does not mean the difference is important, and only meaningful differences have been commented upon.
Key Results
- The most deprived areas in New Zealand are urban, especially minor urban areas. Almost three times as many minor urban areas are classified as high than low deprivation.
- Young people, Māori and Pacific are over-represented in the most deprived areas. No gender difference is evident by deprivation, and males and females are equally represented in high and low deprivation areas.
- Except on confidence and competence for young people, where no difference can be seen by deprivation, young people and adults score lower on the physical literacy indicators included in Active NZ.
- The biggest gap for young people and adults from high deprivation areas is the opportunity to participate in sports and activities of choice.
- Bigger gaps are evident for young people from high and low deprivation areas on understanding the benefits of being active, and for adults on the motivation to be active.
- Young people from high deprivation areas have a greater appetite to increase their participation than from low deprivation areas. By adulthood, the reverse is true and adults from high deprivation areas are less likely to want to increase their participation.
- Compared with New Zealanders from low deprivation areas, those from high deprivation areas are less likely to participate in any given week in fewer sports and activities. Adults from low deprivation areas also spend less time in weekly participation.
- Although no difference is evident in time spent in weekly participation by deprivation for young people, the way in which time is allocated across organised and informal participation varies.
- Physical education (PE) is an important participation enabler for young people from high deprivation areas, who spend more time participating through PE than young people from low deprivation areas.
- Young people and adults from high deprivation areas are less likely to participate through clubs, competitions and tournaments; when young people participate in this way, they spend less time participating than those from low deprivation areas.
- If barriers to participation were removed, young people from high deprivation areas are more likely to identify netball or rugby as activities of choice than those from low deprivation areas.
- Cost and lack of transport are greater barriers to participation for young people and adults from high deprivation areas compared with low. Lack of equipment is a greater barrier for adults from high deprivation areas compared with those from low.
- Participation in play, active recreation and sport results in positive health and wellbeing outcomes irrespective of deprivation.