Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between active involvement in sports and social capital. Is sports participation a means for social differentiation or does it provide the opportunity for people from different social class locations to meet each other? Do people prefer informal forms of sports participation instead of club-organised participation forms? To what extent do sports participants’ social attitudes differ from those of non-participants? Cross-sectional data from the APS and PF/SBV surveys are used to examine sports participation patterns in Flanders from the late 70’s to date. The results indicate that over the last two decades the intrest in active involvement in club-organised sports has not started to dwindle and that social differences have slightly decreased. We found a negative association between active participation in sports and anti-social attitudes. From a policy perspective it is concluded that sports participation can be significant in social cohesion processes.

How to Cite:

Scheerder, J., Pauwels, G. & Vanreusel, B., (2004) “Sport en inburgering: een empirische analyse van de relatie tussen sportbeoefening en sociaal kapitaal”, Tijdschrift voor Sociologie 25(4), 417–450. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86618