1996 Status of the High Performance Athlete Survey (SAS)

Summary

Purpose:

The survey was conducted by Ekos Research Associates Inc. on behalf of Sport Canada to update the results of the 1991 Status of the Athlete Survey (SAS I) as well as to provide information for the Business Plan for Sport in Canada. Both surveys provide a comprehensive picture of Canadian amateur athletes' social and economic characteristics thereby giving Sport Canada analysts the information necessary to formulate high performance athlete support policies.

Methodology:

As with the 1991 survey, the 1996 tracking study was a census of all athletes carded under the Sport Canada Athlete Assistance Program using a self-administered mail-out questionnaire in their preferred official language. The mailing occurred between August and November 1996.

General Comments:

The results of the SAS II study are, in many ways, similar to that of the SAS I . In particular, there was a continued overwhelming positive attitude of respondents towards their involvement in high performance sport. Their outlook was in fact more positive in 1996 than in 1991.

There are some differences however. The SAS II questionnaire was considerably shorter than the SAS I. SAS II results indicate that carded athletes are more satisfied with their financial and academic situations. However, according to respondents, the most significant area in need of improvement still remains their financial support.

Response Rate:

• 606 of 1,031 eligible carded athletes responded to the survey. This was slightly lower than in 1991 but resulted in a significant response rate (59%) and a low margin of error (+/- 2.6%)

Demographic Profile of Respondents:

• 52% male, 48% female.



• Average age was 25.3 years; 48% were greater than 24 years of age.



• There was been a significant increase in the percentage of A and B card respondents.

Level of Satisfaction:

• As in the SAS I, athletes expressed a very high degree of satisfaction with their sport involvement.



• 87% of athletes reported that national pride was an important reason why a person might become a high performance athlete.



• 90% of respondents agreed that sport has enhanced their overall quality of life.



• 95% of respondents reported that they would make the same decisions about their high performance sport involvement.



• Far fewer athletes believed that their education had suffered than was the case among SAS I respondents, (48% vs 65% respectively).

Training and Competition:

• Athletes were generally satisfied with many of the factors which contribute to athletic success such as the quality of their training program, coaching and facilities.



• There was also a large percentage of athletes (49%) who believed that the Canadian sport system was not providing them with the support necessary to reach their potential. This is somewhat contradictory to the general athlete satisfaction with many of the specific components of the system.



• There was a significantly lower level of satisfaction with the number of international competitions carded athletes were able to attend than among SAS I respondents.



• Respondents continued to indicate that financial support was the area of greatest need of improvement.

High Performance Sport Objectives:

• There was a significantly greater support for specific high performance goals for Canada than among SAS I respondents. For example, 68% (versus 39%) supported a goal of attaining a top 5 nation ranking at the Olympic Games.

Socio-economic Information:

• The average annual gross personal income of respondents was $19,710.



• On average, respondents estimated that they needed a personal income of approximately $49,000 before they would no longer require AAP support.

Athlete Assistance Program:

• Athletes were supportive of maintaining a link between athletic performance and the level of AAP support. 82% agreed with continuing the A and B card system while only 23% agreed that athletes should receive the same amount of AAP support regardless of performance.

¹ From Ekos Research Associates Inc., The 1996 Status of the High Performance Athlete Survey.