Culture and Sport Evidence programme

CASE programme - key findings

21 July

The findings from the Culture and Sport Evidence ( CASE ) programme on the drivers, impacts and value of culture and sport have been published. CASE is a major programme of innovative research that uses interdisciplinary research to inform the development of policy in culture and sport.

This joint strategic research initiative led by Deparment for Culture Media and Sport in collaboration with its arms length bodies, builds understanding of the drivers, impacts and value of engagement in culture and sport. The published research provides ground breaking evidence on:

• The impact of background factors (such as age, income and gender) and policy interventions (such as advertising or cost reduction) on the likelihood of people engaging
• What interventions are effective in delivering positive learning outcomes for young people
• The short-term individual value (specifically improved wellbeing), and the long-term health benefits (such as healthcare cost savings and improved health-related quality of life) of engaging.

Key findings for sport show that:

• Young people's participation in organised sport improves their numeracy scores, on average, by 8% above that of non-participants;
• The participation of underachieving young people in extra-curricular learning activities linked to sport increases their numeracy skills, on average, by 29% above that of non-participants, and their transferable skills by 12-16%;
• Sport generates substantial long-term economic value in terms of avoided health costs and improved health-related quality of life;
• Engagement in sport has a positive and quantifiable effect on a person's perceived wellbeing;
• A range of factors, including age, gender, alcohol consumption, childhood experience of sport, socio-economic variables, a limiting illness or disability, educational attainment, unemployment, TV and internet use, and the proximity of local sports facilities, are directly associated with people's participation;
• Of the various cultural sectors, only participation in sport shows a decrease with age, and lower levels of engagement amongst women.

These findings help to strengthen the case for continued investment in sport, and support policy makers and practitioners in making better informed decisions.

For more information download our summary and visit the CASE website for the full reports that include an overarching summary and more detailed technical reports.