What is Ánægjuvogin?
Ánægjuvogin is produced by Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analysis (R&g) for UMFÍ and ÍSÍ. Since 1992, R&g has surveyed students in grades 8, 9 and 10 under the project name Ungt fólk (Youth in Iceland). UMFÍ and ÍSÍ have used the results of the report since 2012 to monitor trends in satisfaction with sport and sports participation. The results show participants’ satisfaction with their club, coach and facilities, as well as the links between sports participation and factors such as substance use, academic performance, mental and physical health, sleep and energy drink consumption.
2022 report
In 2022, the results of Ánægjuvogin were divided by the country’s health regions instead of by regional sports federation. This made it possible to compare the results with the Directorate of Health’s public health indicators. In addition, every club with more than 15 participants received a special sheet with key figures for the club. In some cases where the required number was not reached, reports were prepared for the municipality.
Ánægjuvogin 2022 reports by region
Presentation of Ánægjuvogin 2022
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On Tuesday 21 June 2022, a presentation was held at the UMFÍ service centre. Margrét Lilja Guðmundsdóttir, a specialist at Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analysis and a lecturer at the Department of Sport Science at Reykjavík University, went through the main results.
The results showed that the mental and physical health of young people who do sport is better than that of those who do not. The number of participants in organised sport in grades 9 and 10 of primary school increased between 2003 and 2022. The proportion of those who said they almost never do sport went from 49% in 2003 and 2006 to 37% in 2010. Last year, 42% of students in these grades said they never do sport.
The results also show that the proportion of students in grades 9 and 10 who do sport four times a week or more rose steadily from 2003 to 2010. Now about 41% of students in this age group say they do sport with a sports club four times a week or more. The proportion of students who say they do sport with a sports club one to three times a week is now 17%.The video below shows Margrét Lilja’s presentation
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About half of children from homes where only Icelandic is spoken train with a sports club, but this is not the case for students of foreign origin or students who identify as non-binary. These two groups are less likely to do sport than others.
An example is the question: How often do you do sport with a sports club? Broken down by gender.
The result is that 42% of girls do sport with a sports club four times a week or more and 19% 1–3 times a week. At the same time, 46% of boys answered that they do sport with a club four times a week or more and 18% 1–3 times a week.
On the other hand, the majority of students who identify as non-binary/other, or 66%, do not do sport with a club. Only 16% do sport with a sports club four times a week or more and 18% 1–3 times a week.
A similar result was found when sports participation was broken down by whether Icelandic, another language or only another language was spoken at home. Fewer young people do sport regularly if they come from homes where only a language other than Icelandic is spoken. -
The results of Ánægjuvogin 2022 underline the importance of keeping children in organised sport, celebrating role models and making sure that sport is for everyone, as the overwhelming majority of participants are happy with their sports club, coach and training facilities and enjoy a good social life with their team.
It has also been shown that children and young people who do organised sport feel better than others. They are also less likely to use drugs, nicotine and energy drinks.
For this reason, it is important to reach those who do not take part in organised sport.