A COMPARISON OF SPORTING ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE VISEGRAD GROUP COUNTRIES

Abstract

Background. EU efforts to exploit the positive social impact of sport have also been a priority in the Visegrad (V4) countries over the past decade. Our analysis aimed to compare the frequency of sports activities among the V4 countries’ population and the effects of demographic, quality of life, sociocultural, socioeconomic, and sports infrastructural factors. Material and methods. The data analyzed are from the Special Eurobarometer 472 Sport and Physical Activity survey, conducted in 2017. All respondents (n=4,174) were over 15 years of age and resident in one of the four Visegrad countries. Frequency distribution, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression models (including 12 explanatory variables and regular sports as independent variable) were used. Results. Hungary had the highest rate (16%) of respondents participating in sporting activity at least three times a week, while the Czech Republic had the highest rate of weekly regularity (31%), and the lowest inactivity rate (42%). In Poland, the inactivity rate was 62%. Age, education, and social status had a significant effect on the frequency of sports in all four countries. Conclusions. This paper highlights the slowly changeable role of demographic, sociocultural, and socioeconomic structures in influencing the frequency of sporting activity among the V4 countries, and underlines the potentially quick impact of sports infrastructure.