Sport Participation by disability status

According to Leger Opinion’s 2024 Physical Activity and Sport Survey, in collaboration with the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 27% of adults have participated in sport in the year preceding the survey. Sport reflects physical activities that involve competition, rules, and developing specific skills. Sport participation was lower among individuals who identified as having a disability (21%) compared to adults without (30%).

In addition to participation rates, “participation” reflects an understanding of the regularity of participation (months per year) and the frequency of participation (times per week) in order to distinguish regular participators and those who do not participate very often. Nationally, almost two out of ten adults (19%) who participated in sport did so every month of the year, whereas an additional 42% participated between six and eleven months of the year. Roughly four in ten (39%) participated in sport for less than six months out of the year. Disability status was associated with the number of months participating. A slightly higher percentage of adults (46%) who identified that they have a disability reported participating in sport for less than six months out of the year compared to individuals who did not (37%). There were no significant differences in greater regularity of participation (6 months or more per year) by disability status.

Sport participants were also asked how frequently they participated in sport on a weekly basis during the months that they participated. Almost two out of ten adults (18% nationally – 19% among those who identified as having a disability and 18% who did not) reported that they participated very frequently at four or more times a week, and 34% reported two to three times a week (29% among those who reported having a disability and 35% who did not). Just over one-quarter of adults (28% nationally – 30% among those citing a disability and 28% among those who do not) reported that they participated once a week. Two out of ten (20% overall – 23% of individuals indicating a disability compared to 19% who do not) adults indicated that they participated less often or variably depending on the month or the season.

More men than women participate in sport and this difference varies by disability status.

Overall, considerably more men than women (17% difference between the genders) participated in sport in the previous twelve months. This gender difference was also apparent, regardless of whether the adults reported a disability or not (15% difference between the genders among those citing a disability compared to a 17% difference between the genders among those who did not). When exploring this relationship further by disability status, fewer men who identified as having a disability (28%) reported participating in sport in the past year compared to men who did not (38%), and this relationship was also evident among women (13% of women who cited a disability compared to 21% of women who did not).

Nationally, there were considerable declines in sport participation with increasing age; for example, 53% of 18- to 24-year-olds participated in sport compared to 13% of adults aged 65 years and older.  This pattern was similar regardless of disability status. Among adults under 45 years of age, there were no significant differences in sport participation by disability status, but there were differences among their older counterparts. More specifically, among adults 45 years and older, those who reported a disability were less likely to report participating in sport compared to those who did not report a disability (23% of adults aged 45 to 64 years who did not have a disability participated in sport compared to 14% of adults of the same age who cited a disability; 15% of adults aged 65 years and older who did not report a disability participated in sport compared to 7% of older adults who did cite a disability).

When combining age and gender together, the gender gap generally appeared among all age groups and the decline in participation rates with age appeared for both men and women.  This was also the case among adults who did not report a disability. These patterns also generally held among adults reporting a disability, however, there were no significant differences by gender among 18- to 24-year-olds who identified as having a disability.

In terms of the number of months participating in sport nationally, a greater percentage of men overall (21%) reported participation during each month of the year compared to women (16%), whereas relatively more women (43%) said that they participated for less than six months out of the year compared to 37% of men. In terms of disability status, among adults not reporting a disability, this pattern held; a greater percentage of women not reporting a disability indicated that they participated in sport for less than six months in the past year compared to men, whereas relatively more men reported that they participated every month of the year. Among those citing a disability, there were no significant gender differences by regularity of participation. Looking at relationships in a different way, a greater percentage of men identifying as having a disability stated that they participated in sport for less than six months out of the year compared to men who did not. This relationship was not significant among women.

There were very few significant differences regarding the regularity of participation (number of months) by overall age groups, although relatively fewer older adults (65 years and older) indicated that they participated in sport for fewer than six months out of the year compared to younger age groups. This relationship was significant among adults who did not cite a disability; adults aged 25 to 44 years who did not have a disability were more likely than adults 65 years and older to participate for less than six months out of the year, whereas a greater percentage of older adults without a disability reported participating in sport for six to eleven months out of the year. These relationships were not significant among individuals indicating a disability.

Interestingly, however, there were no significant gender differences with respect to the frequency of participation per week at a national level or by disability status. In terms of frequency of participation per week, a greater percentage of young adults (aged 18 to 24 years) reported participating in sport at least four times per week compared to adults aged 24 to 64 years, and this pattern was significant among those who did not cite a disability; on the other hand, relatively more older adults (65 years and older) without a disability reported participating between two to three times a week compared to 25 to 64 year old adults.

Almost half of adults participated in a structured sport environment.

Almost half of adults (47% overall; but 44% of adults identifying as having a disability compared to 48% of adults who do not) indicated that when they participated in sport, they did so primarily in a structured environment, whereas 30% (32% of adults citing a disability and 30% of adults who did not) reported a primarily unstructured environment, and 22% (24% of adults reporting a disability and 22% of adults who did not) reported both types of environments.

A slightly higher percentage of men (33%) stated that they primarily participated in an unstructured sport environment compared to women (26%). When examining the structure of sport participation by gender and by disability status, the gender differences were not significantly different.

In general, older adults (65 years and older) were most likely to have said that they primarily participated in sport in a structured environment, yet were least likely to say that they have participated in primarily unstructured environments. Among adults who did not cite a disability, older adults were most likely to report that they primarily participated in a structured/organized environment, and were less likely than 25- to 64-year-olds without a disability to report participating primarily in unstructured activities. These relationships, however, were not significant among adults who identify as having a disability.

Half of sport participants indicated that they competed in their sport.  Relatively more men (57%) than women (39%) competed in sport.  These gender differences were also significant among adults not reporting a disability but they were not significantly different among adults with a disability. At a national level, the percentage indicating that they competed for sport did not vary significantly by age. Among adults not reporting a disability, younger adults (18 to 24 years) were more likely than those aged 25 to 64 years to say that they competed for sport. This age-related difference, however, was not significant among adults reporting a disability.

Roughly half or less who participated in sport made use of supports, like using a coach or training.

The survey also asked about the use of a coach for sport and whether or not the individual trains. Almost one-third of adults (32%) reported the use of a coach for sport. A greater percent of adults with a disability (44%) reported the use of a coach compared to those without a disability (29%). There were no overall differences in the use of a coach by gender of the participant, or by disability status. However, among men, individuals with a disability were more likely to report the use of a coach compared to men without, and this same relationship also appeared for women.

There was a general decrease in the use of a coach by increasing age of the participant (e.g., 51% of adults aged 18 to 24 years compared to 16% of adults 65 years and older). Although this relationship existed among those who did not report a disability, any differences were not significant among adults citing a disability. The percentage of individuals identifying as having a disability who used coaching services was higher among 25 to 64 years olds, compared to those in the same age bracket yet did not have a disability.

Half of sport participants said that they trained for their sport. This percentage was slightly higher among those reporting a disability. In general, a higher percentage of men (54%) stated that they trained for their sport compared to 44% of women. This relationship, however, was only significant among individuals who did not report a disability (54% of men compared to 41% of women), as interestingly, there were no significant differences between those indicating a disability (57% of men compared to 55% of women).

Generally speaking, there was a decline in the percentage of adults who trained for sport with increasing age, although this relationship was only significant among those who did not have a disability. The age-related decline in training was not significant among those citing a disability.