The National Sports Policy (NSP) 2018 - 2027 ( https://assets.gov.ie/15979/04e0f52cee5f47ee9c01003cf559e98d.pdf) sets out the public policy work for the development of sport in Ireland for the next decade. Its high-level aims include an increase in the proportion of adults actively participating in sport from 43% to 50%, a reduction in the levels of adult sedentarism (In the context of the NSP, sedentarism means not engaging regularly in either sport or recreational walking) and an increase in children’s active participation in sport. The policy acknowledges that addressing the socio-economic, age, disability and gender gradients that exist around active and social participation must be central to any efforts to achieve such policy aims around participation.
The NSP recognises that there are no simple answers, that the reasons for non-participation vary within and between groups, and that they can change over the life course. For example, among individuals from lower socio-economic groups there appears to be a strong belief that they are not in control of their own efforts to increase participation in sport. While they understand that there are benefits from taking part in sport and that it is a good thing to do, these beliefs do not translate into higher levels of participation. There is a need, therefore, to understand better why individuals who believe in the benefits of sport and exercise feel unable to participate. The policy points to the potential role for behavioural science to help us understand what lies at the heart of these decisions not to participate. “In prioritising initiatives and programmes to engage groups with lower participation levels we will use behavioural insights and other research to better understand issues around non-participation.” (Action 10, page 36 of the NSP).