Sport England Picks Ipsos for Largest Ever CATI Survey

Ipsos UK's Public Affairs unit has won a major new research project for Sport England to explore participation levels and attitudes to recreation and leisure. The 'Active People' survey is described as the largest CATI survey ever commissioned.

Ipsos will contact one in every 20 households in England, and complete 350,000 twenty-minute interviews, ensuring that 1,000 people in every local authority area are questioned. The survey will look at the types and levels of sport and active recreation UK adults currently undertake, covering all aspects of exercise from mainstream sports to walking and cycling. It will also provide insight into the attitudes towards recreation of people from different life-stages and environments.

The purpose of the survey is to get a clear picture about activity, and to use the data to help local authorities and community partners increase participation in sport and physical recreation. Sport England, which is responsible for delivering the government's objective to increase participation in sport, defines 'active' as taking part in moderate intensity sport or physical recreation for a minimum of 30 minutes three days a week.

The questionnaire will be finalised in the next few weeks, and fieldwork will begin in October after piloting and testing. Results are expected by the end of 2006. There are plans for the survey to be repeated in three years so that progress can be measured.

Sam McGuire, Director of Ipsos Public Affairs, describes the project's scope as 'phenomenal', and believes it will have a major impact on future policy and the role of sport in our lives. He expects the survey to capitalise on the country's renewed interest in sport following the successful Olympic bid. CEO Richard Silman believes Ipsos UK is one of the few agencies with 'the capacity, the expertise and sensitivity' to undertake this type of project.

Nick Rowe, Head of Strategy and Research at Sport England, says the organisation chose Ipsos because of the team's passion and enthusiasm, and also its track record for conducting in-depth research as a basis for policy. He says: 'There have been some good surveys about participation over the years but none will have gone this wide and this deep. The numbers of people we will be surveying is without precedent and the survey will provide us with the most accurate data on those who are and are not physically active.'

Sport England is online at www.sportengland.org , while Ipsos is at www.ipsos.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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