Indicators

There are two indicators, one on participation and one on volunteering included within the cultural services block of the CPA consultation document:

Participation

Percentage of adults (16+) participating in at least 30 minutes moderate intensity sport and active recreation (including recreational walking) on 3 or more days a week

Volunteering

Percentage of the population (adults 16+) volunteering in sport and active recreation for at least one hour a week

Why have these indicators?

Participation

The participation indicator is a priority measure for sport in England. It is aligned to the DCMS Public Service Agreement (PSA) target for sports participation that is also reflected in The Framework for Sport in England and the nine regional plans for sport. Participating in sport and active recreation on at least three days a week for 30 minutes duration and for at least moderate levels of intensity, will make a significant contribution towards achieving the health outcomes associated with an active nation by contributing to the overall levels of physical activity as specified by the CMO as the recommended levels of physical activity, (at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on 5 or more days a week). This frequency of commitment to participation in sport and active recreation will also increase the likelihood of longer term sustained involvement and maximise the opportunity for sport to deliver on other wider well being and social and economic objectives of local authorities.

Volunteering

The volunteering indicator will provide an important measure of voluntary activity in sport. Sport makes the largest contribution to voluntary activity in England but is experiencing many pressures. Thosewho volunteer provide a vital capacity to support and sustain opportunities for those who want to take part and be active. Volunteering also benefits the volunteer directly through social engagement, increasing self-esteem and development of skills that often accompanies voluntary activity as well as providing wider community benefits liked to community cohesion and engagement.

How will these indicators be collected?

The Active People Survey has been developed to specifically collect information to provide a robust and reliable measure of the participation and volunteering indicators.  Ipsos MORI have been commissioned to carry out the survey on behalf of Sport England.

What are the associated costs?

Sport England will fund the cost of the survey in the first year.  Thus, there will be no cost to local authorities.

What does an LA need to provide?

There would be no specific demands on local authorities in the first year survey. The survey has been commissioned and managed by Sport England and results will be provided to local authorities electronically.

When will the information be available?

The Active People Survey commenced in October 2005 and will collect data over a full year.  Local authority level results for the CPA indicators will be available in November 2006. Interim data will be available to individual local authorities in May 2006 made up of the first 6-months of data collected (based on a sample of 500 per authority).  The results for all local authorities will be divided into ten percentiles and each local authority will be given information about which percentile they are currently in for both of the CPA indicators.

When will the indicators be reviewed?

It is proposed that the Active People Survey be repeated every three years.

Do these Indicators apply to all local authorities?

Yes, the proposed survey would include a sample of 1,000 residents in every London Borough, Unitary, Metropolitan and District Authority in England. The sample would be larger in Counties and will be calculated through an aggregation of district samples.

Useful Links

Active People Survey

Feedback

To provide any feedback on these indicators, email to: cpa@sportengland.org