Social value and socio-economic dimension
Task force subgroup 3
Samenvatting
The general objective of Task Force, building on previous research, is to support evidence-based policy-making at both national and EU level by harmonising existing methodologies and definitions on sport statistics thereby also paving the way towards a possible future European Sport Satellite Account (SSA).
In fact, recognising that sport could contribute to achieve the overall political priorities of the EU, and in particular the goals of various other policy areas such as education, health, youth, social affairs, inclusion, equality, gender equality, urban and rural development, transportation, environment, tourism, employment, innovation, sustainability, digitalisation and economy; and that those policy areas could support the promotion of sport based on cross-sectoral cooperation (EU Working Plan for Sport, 2021-24).
Although the positive impact of physical activity on health is undeniable, the difficulty of quantifying the benefits for the individual and for the society means that the full importance of sport and physical activity are often underestimated. Apart from the direct (physical and mental) and indirect health benefits (for example through socialisation), sport and physical activity may also have positive effects on the environment (for example, cycling instead of using the car) or the amount of EU social capital.
The Socio-economic dimension of sport includes aspects such as:
- active participation;
- social inclusion and equalities;
- subjective wellbeing;
- social capital;
- health benefits;
- education and training.
Literatuurverwijzing: Kokolakakis, T., Jimenez-Gutierrez, A., Hoekman, R.H.A., Silva, F. G. da, & Lera-Lopez, F. (2025). Social value and socio-economic dimension: task force subgroup 3. Luxembourg: European Union.