TNS BMRB research plays a major role in informing and supporting government policy to increase engagement with sport.
Our research in this area focuses on:
- Measuring participation in sport;
- Understanding barriers and motivations to participation; and
- Providing research to inform the implementation of the government’s 2012 Legacy Action Plan.
Research partners on flagship government surveys
TNS BMRB is the government’s research partner on three major surveys measuring participation in sport: the Active People Survey for Sport England, the Taking Part Survey for DCMS, and the PE and Sport Survey for the Department for Education.
The Active People Survey is the largest ever survey of sport and active recreation to be undertaken in Europe, allowing for detailed analysis of participation in different areas and between different groups of the population.
Taking Part is a continuous survey that provides evidence on cultural and sporting engagement. This is a designated National Statistics publication.
The PE and Sport Survey helps to monitor the success of the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People. The survey collects information across schools and colleges about provision and take-up of PE and sport activity, including competitive sport activity. 22,000 schools took part in the 2008/09 survey – a response rate in excess of 99%.
Informing key policy programmes
TNS BMRB regularly undertakes bespoke research projects for government to inform policy and legislation on a range of sports-related themes. Our work includes:
- Research for DCMS in 2007 to gauge public opinion on the government’s Olympic legacy promises.
- Research exploring public opinion on free-to-air sporting events to inform the DCMS Free to Air Events Review in 2009.
- Research for the Department for Education in 2010 to explore whether and how schools and colleges are using the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games and Values to help deliver the objectives of the Sports and Physical Education (PE) Strand of the Olympic Education programme.