Study finds wide municipal gap in children’s club participation

A new study shows large differences between Danish municipalities in the share of children who take part in organised clubs, DR reports. In Allerød, 82 per cent of children aged three to 14 are active in an association, compared with 58 per cent in Brøndby.

The study was conducted by Danmark i Bevægelse at the University of Southern Denmark.

“Our studies show that there is an enormous difference in how many children take part in associations across the country’s municipalities,” said Jens Høyer-Kruse, a sports researcher and project leader at Danmark i Bevægelse.

He said the differences were closely linked to the populations in the municipalities, with socioeconomic conditions playing a significant role.

Socioeconomic factors include parents’ education levels and incomes, as well as ethnicity, family circumstances and housing conditions. Families facing financial or time pressures may have less capacity to send their children to activities such as handball or swimming.

“There is a very strong social inheritance when it comes to participation in sport. The more active the parents are, the more active the children are too,” Høyer-Kruse said.

He added that a strong civil society and suitable facilities in the municipalities also affected children’s participation in organised clubs.

Across Denmark, 73 per cent of children aged three to 14 take part in an association. Among children aged nine to 11, the figure is about 81 per cent for participation at least once a month.

Football is the most popular activity

The most common organised activities nationwide are football, gymnastics, swimming, handball, and scouting or FDF.

Football is widespread across the country and particularly popular in Ringkøbing-Skjern, Rebild, Lemvig and Jammerbugt municipalities, where 36 to 39 per cent of children aged three to 14 play football in an association.

Gymnastics is especially popular in Varde, Ringkøbing-Skjern and Lemvig, where 39 to 41 per cent of children take part. In Mors, 25 per cent play handball at least once a month.

Scouting and FDF are most popular in Lemvig, Thisted and Struer, where 12 to 13 per cent of children take part.

Nationwide, the shares of children aged three to 14 who take part in activities at least once a month are 27.5 per cent for football, 22.7 per cent for gymnastics, 18.1 per cent for swimming, 10.1 per cent for handball and 7.3 per cent for scouting and FDF.