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Social Capital and Sports Participation in Greece The Case Study of the Runners at the Authentic Marathon Dikaia Chatziefstathiou 1 , PhD and Kyriaki Kaplanidou 2, PhD 1 Marie Curie Fellow, Panteion University of Athens, Greece & Reader, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK 2 Associate Professor, University of Florida, USA INTRODUCTION METHODS CONCLUSIONS DISCUSSION RESULTS REFERENCES ABSTRACT CONTACT Dr Dikaia Chatziefstathiou Panteion University & Canterbury Christ Church University Email: [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdikai a Twitter: @dikaiac A question has been asked in the literature: whether or not sport is unique in its ability to build social capital for participants. There is a number of studies identified in the literature that have already demonstrated the capability of sport in providing opportunities for social capital formation. However, as recognised by some researchers, the uniqueness of sport itself for the creation of social capital needs further exploration. This research aims to shed further light into this by examining the social capital of runners in a marathon event. For the purposes of this study, we built a questionnaire based on different tools from the European Commission, Greece, Australia and the UK. A convenience sample of n=113 questionnaires was collected from runners who participated in the 32 nd Authentic Marathon (2014, Athens). The results suggest that runners demonstrate a good level of trust towards their fellow citizens (much less to politicians), as well as social connectedness but sport participation may not be inherently special in the development of social capital as the results indicate in relation to membership, decision-making, and participation/ attendance in local events. For this presentation we only focused on findings in relation to the type of sports membership of the runners (e.g. registered in a private gym) in relation to two components of social capital that we measured in our questionnaire: (i) collective action and cooperation: Questions 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4 and 15.5 (ii) social cohesion and social life: Questions 15.6, 15.7, 18.1, 18.2, 18.3 and 18.4. Below we described in detail those questions: 15.1 In the past 12 months, did you participate in an event for the benefit of your neighbourhood or region? 15.2 In the past 12 months, did you attend an event of your local community, municipality etc.? 15.3 In the past 12 months, did you attend a sports event in your local community, municipality etc.? 15.4 Do you volunteer? 15.5 Do you volunteer in sports events? 15.6 Do you use the public leisure facilities of your community, municipality etc.? 15.7 Do you get informed about the news of your area by reading a local newspaper, newsletter etc.? 18.1 I feel I belong to my local community I feel isolated from my local community My sense of belonging to my local community increases with my participation in local sports events 18.4 I watch and support the sports club of my Collective action & cooperation: In Q. 15.1 those who do not exercise have a low mean (1.73), while the highest is shared by those who exercise in a public gym and those who are members in a sports club (2.09) but generally the mean values for all the groups are relatively low. In Q. 15.2, those who had the lowest mean score were those registered in a private gym. In Q. 15.3 the highest value is again by those registered in a sports club (2.68) while the lowest is by those who do not exercise (1.63). In Q.15.4 the values are overall quite low, while in Q.15.5 we see that those registered in a sports club have the highest mean here (2.09) while those who do not exercise have again the lowest one (1.15). Social cohesion & social life: In Q. 15.6 we have the highest mean (3.66) by the respondents who are registered in a public gym. In Q. 15.7 we have the highest mean scores by those who are registered in a public gym or in a team without fees (2.43), while those who do not exercise have the lowest one (1.98). In Q. 18.1 those who have a higher sense of belonging in their local community are those using a public gym (3.54) while the lowest is by those registered in a private gym (2.99). In Q.18.2, the highest mean score (2.69) is by those registered in a private gym reinforcing the findings in the previous question. In Q. 18.3 there are remarkably high scores from all the groups. Finally in Q.18.4 those who watch and support the sports clubs of their area are those who are members of a sports club themselves. For the purposes of this study, we built a questionnaire based on different tools from the European Commission, Greece, Australia and the UK. It included the following thematic units: 1) Membership in clubs & networking with relatives and friends 2) trust & solidarity 3) collective action & cooperation 4) social cohesion & social life. A sample of n=1.811 online questionnaires distributed by the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) were completed from runners who participated in the 32 nd Authentic Marathon (2014, Athens). In conclusion, we observe that those who do not exercise appear to be less keen to engage with events of collective action and cooperation while those registered in a private gym also tend to participate less often to events of their local community. The highest values in relation to collective action and cooperation are by those registered in a sports club and those who are members in a public gym, though overall volunteering ethos is not particularly high among all groups. This is slightly better when it comes specifically to sports volunteering (particularly for those registered in a sports club). The sense of belonging to their community is higher to those who use the public gyms, especially when compared to those who use a private gym. The latter also feel more isolated than any other group. Overall those who use the public gyms make more use of their local leisure facilities and also wish to get informed more about the local news. There is an agreement among all groups that attending local sports events increase their sense of belonging, while local sports teams are mostly supported by those who are registered in sports clubs (with or without fees). The term ‘social capital’ was firstly mentioned in Hanifan’s work (1916, p.130) in which it was described as “those tangible assets that count for most in the daily lives of people: namely goodwill, fellowship, sympathy and social intercourse among the individuals and families who make up a social unit”. In the field of social science, most of the studies in relation to social capital were derived from the work of Bourdieu, Coleman, and Putnam. Recently there has been a growing interest in exploring the association between sport and social capital. Sport has been considered as a useful tool to tackle issues of broader social development, e.g. social integration, the creation of national identity. However, many of those studies have only focused on conceptualizing the hypothesis. Studies backed up with robust evidence in relation to this concept are still scarce. Perhaps the primarily reason for the increasing numbers of research on the sport and social capital in recent years is because of a growing attention being paid on this relationship in political discourse. On 26 November of 2013 the Council adopted the first ever Council Recommendation in sport, notably on promoting health-enhancing physical activity across sectors (HEPA). It also adopted Council conclusions on the ‘Contribution of sport to the EU economy, and in particular to addressing youth unemployment and social inclusion’ A question has been asked in the literature: whether or not sport is unique in its ability to build social capital for participants. There is a number of studies identified in the literature that have already demonstrated the capability of sport in providing opportunities for social capital formation. However, as recognised by some researchers, the uniqueness of sport itself for the creation of social capital needs further exploration (Nicholson and Hoye, 2008; Brown, 2013). This research aims to shed further light into this by examining the social capital of runners in a marathon event. 1.BROWN, S. F. 2013. How do youth sports facilitate the creation of parental social ties? Sport in Society, 17, 23-37. 2.HANIFAN, L. J. 1916. The Rural School Community Center. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 67, 130-138. 3.NICHOLSON, M. & HOYE, R. 2008. Sport and Social Capital, Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann. Chart 1. Social cohesion and collective variables for different types of sports membership Table 1. Mean values for questions that measure social cohesion and collective action . Question numbers 15_1 15_2 15_3 15_4 15_5 15_6 15_7 18_1 18_2 18_3 18_4 I am registered in a private gym 1.74 1.89 1.96 1.73 1.43 2.37 2.05 2.99 2.69 3.45 2.75 I am registerd in public gym 2.09 2.54 2.43 1.84 1.49 3.66 2.43 3.54 2.44 3.58 2.93 I am registered in sports club/team and I pay fees 2.09 2.38 2.68 1.93 2.09 3.09 2.27 3.41 2.43 3.63 3.26 I am registered i nclub/team-- NO fees 2.05 2.35 2.49 1.91 1.92 3.15 2.43 3.4 2.5 3.63 3.32 I am in a exercise group without any fees required 1.95 2.11 2.27 1.82 1.65 3 2.29 3.25 2.47 3.58 3.01 I do not exercise 1.57 2.02 1.63 1.76 1.15 1.88 1.98 3.08 2.62 3.26 2.32 other 1.73 2.04 2.05 1.73 1.35 2.83 2.1 3.16 2.61 3.35 2.77

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Social Capital and Sports Participation in Greece The Case Study of the Runners at the Authentic Marathon

Dikaia Chatziefstathiou1, PhD and Kyriaki Kaplanidou2, PhD1Marie Curie Fellow, Panteion University of Athens, Greece & Reader, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK

2 Associate Professor, University of Florida, USA

INTRODUCTION

METHODS

CONCLUSIONS

DISCUSSIONRESULTS

REFERENCES

ABSTRACT

CONTACT

Dr Dikaia ChatziefstathiouPanteion University &Canterbury Christ Church University Email: [email protected]://www.linkedin.com/in/drdikaiaTwitter: @dikaiac

A question has been asked in the literature: whether or not sport is unique in its ability to build social capital for participants. There is a number of studies identified in the literature that have already demonstrated the capability of sport in providing opportunities for social capital formation. However, as recognised by some researchers, the uniqueness of sport itself for the creation of social capital needs further exploration. This research aims to shed further light into this by examining the social capital of runners in a marathon event. For the purposes of this study, we built a questionnaire based on different tools from the European Commission, Greece, Australia and the UK. A convenience sample of n=113 questionnaires was collected from runners who participated in the 32nd Authentic Marathon (2014, Athens). The results suggest that runners demonstrate a good level of trust towards their fellow citizens (much less to politicians), as well as social connectedness but sport participation may not be inherently special in the development of social capital as the results indicate in relation to membership, decision-making, and participation/ attendance in local events.

For this presentation we only focused on findings in relation to the type of sports membership of the runners (e.g. registered in a private gym) in relation to two components of social capital that we measured in our questionnaire: (i) collective action and cooperation: Questions 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4 and 15.5 (ii) social cohesion and social life: Questions 15.6, 15.7, 18.1, 18.2, 18.3 and 18.4. Below we described in detail those questions:

15.1 In the past 12 months, did you participate in an event for the benefit of your neighbourhood or region?15.2 In the past 12 months, did you attend an event of your local community, municipality etc.?15.3 In the past 12 months, did you attend a sports event in your local community, municipality etc.?15.4 Do you volunteer?15.5 Do you volunteer in sports events?

15.6 Do you use the public leisure facilities of your community, municipality etc.?15.7 Do you get informed about the news of your area by reading a local newspaper, newsletter etc.?18.1 I feel I belong to my local community18.2 I feel isolated from my local community18.3 My sense of belonging to my local community increases with my participation in local sports events18.4 I watch and support the sports club of my area

Collective action & cooperation: In Q. 15.1 those who do not exercise have a low mean (1.73), while the highest is shared by those who exercise in a public gym and those who are members in a sports club (2.09) but generally the mean values for all the groups are relatively low. In Q. 15.2, those who had the lowest mean score were those registered in a private gym. In Q. 15.3 the highest value is again by those registered in a sports club (2.68) while the lowest is by those who do not exercise (1.63). In Q.15.4 the values are overall quite low, while in Q.15.5 we see that those registered in a sports club have the highest mean here (2.09) while those who do not exercise have again the lowest one (1.15).

Social cohesion & social life: In Q. 15.6 we have the highest mean (3.66) by the respondents who are registered in a public gym. In Q. 15.7 we have the highest mean scores by those who are registered in a public gym or in a team without fees (2.43), while those who do not exercise have the lowest one (1.98). In Q. 18.1 those who have a higher sense of belonging in their local community are those using a public gym (3.54) while the lowest is by those registered in a private gym (2.99). In Q.18.2, the highest mean score (2.69) is by those registered in a private gym reinforcing the findings in the previous question. In Q. 18.3 there are remarkably high scores from all the groups. Finally in Q.18.4 those who watch and support the sports clubs of their area are those who are members of a sports club themselves.

For the purposes of this study, we built a questionnaire based on different tools from the European Commission, Greece, Australia and the UK. It included the following thematic units: 1) Membership in clubs & networking with relatives and friends 2) trust & solidarity 3) collective action & cooperation 4) social cohesion & social life.

A sample of n=1.811 online questionnaires distributed by the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) were completed from runners who participated in the 32nd Authentic Marathon (2014, Athens).

In conclusion, we observe that those who do not exercise appear to be less keen to engage with events of collective action and cooperation while those registered in a private gym also tend to participate less often to events of their local community. The highest values in relation to collective action and cooperation are by those registered in a sports club and those who are members in a public gym, though overall volunteering ethos is not particularly high among all groups. This is slightly better when it comes specifically to sports volunteering (particularly for those registered in a sports club). The sense of belonging to their community is higher to those who use the public gyms, especially when compared to those who use a private gym. The latter also feel more isolated than any other group. Overall those who use the public gyms make more use of their local leisure facilities and also wish to get informed more about the local news. There is an agreement among all groups that attending local sports events increase their sense of belonging, while local sports teams are mostly supported by those who are registered in sports clubs (with or without fees).

The term ‘social capital’ was firstly mentioned in Hanifan’s work (1916, p.130) in which it was described as “those tangible assets that count for most in the daily lives of people: namely goodwill, fellowship, sympathy and social intercourse among the individuals and families who make up a social unit”. In the field of social science, most of the studies in relation to social capital were derived from the work of Bourdieu, Coleman, and Putnam.

Recently there has been a growing interest in exploring the association between sport and social capital. Sport has been considered as a useful tool to tackle issues of broader social development, e.g. social integration, the creation of national identity. However, many of those studies have only focused on conceptualizing the hypothesis. Studies backed up with robust evidence in relation to this concept are still scarce.

Perhaps the primarily reason for the increasing numbers of research on the sport and social capital in recent years is because of a growing attention being paid on this relationship in political discourse. On 26 November of 2013 the Council adopted the first ever Council Recommendation in sport, notably on promoting health-enhancing physical activity across sectors (HEPA). It also adopted Council conclusions on the

‘Contribution of sport to the EU economy, and in particular to addressing youth unemployment and social inclusion’

A question has been asked in the literature: whether or not sport is unique in its ability to build social capital for participants. There is a number of studies identified in the literature that have already demonstrated the capability of sport in providing opportunities for social capital formation. However, as recognised by some researchers, the uniqueness of sport itself for the creation of social capital needs further exploration (Nicholson and Hoye, 2008; Brown, 2013). This research aims to shed further light into this by examining the social capital of runners in a marathon event.

1.BROWN, S. F. 2013. How do youth sports facilitate the creation of parental social ties? Sport in Society, 17, 23-37.

2.HANIFAN, L. J. 1916. The Rural School Community Center. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 67, 130-138.

3.NICHOLSON, M. & HOYE, R. 2008. Sport and Social Capital, Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann.

Chart 1. Social cohesion and collective variables for different types of sports membership

Table 1. Mean values for questions that measure social cohesion and collective action .

Question numbers 15_1 15_2 15_3 15_4 15_5 15_6 15_7 18_1 18_2 18_3 18_4

I am registered in a private gym 1.74 1.89 1.96 1.73 1.43 2.37 2.05 2.99 2.69 3.45 2.75I am registerd in public gym 2.09 2.54 2.43 1.84 1.49 3.66 2.43 3.54 2.44 3.58 2.93I am registered in sports club/team and I pay fees 2.09 2.38 2.68 1.93 2.09 3.09 2.27 3.41 2.43 3.63 3.26

I am registered i nclub/team--NO fees 2.05 2.35 2.49 1.91 1.92 3.15 2.43 3.4 2.5 3.63 3.32I am in a exercise group without any fees required 1.95 2.11 2.27 1.82 1.65 3 2.29 3.25 2.47 3.58 3.01

I do not exercise 1.57 2.02 1.63 1.76 1.15 1.88 1.98 3.08 2.62 3.26 2.32

other 1.73 2.04 2.05 1.73 1.35 2.83 2.1 3.16 2.61 3.35 2.77