2021 survey results: Your views on sportanddev

The International Platform on Sport and Development (sportanddev) has conducted its 2021 annual survey so we can better serve our users and collect insights on the state of sport and development.

The results are illuminating across many areas - this article focuses on respondents’ views on the role of sportanddev. We also feature another article on recommendations for the platform while our final article highlights respondents’ views on the sport and development sector and the COVID pandemic.

About survey participants

Overall, 100 people responded to the 2021 survey (54% male; 45% female). Respondents were fairly evenly spread across age groups, with 31% aged 31-40, 25% aged 21-30 and 26% aged 41-50.

As in previous years, the highest number of respondents were based in Europe (28%), followed by Asia (19%), sub-Saharan Africa (17%) and North America (12%). There was an increase from Oceania (12%, up from 9% in 2020). 6% of visitors were from Latin America and the Caribbean, with 6% identifying as other. These figures suggest great geographical diversity, and we aim to encourage and improve upon this trend, especially as we seek to launch sportanddev in other global languages.

40% of respondents were working in the sports sector and 43% for implementing NGOs. Over 25% of respondents identified as a researcher, volunteer and/or coach, with 19% from a sport federation.

The following proportion of respondents identified as/with: athletes/players (20%), practitioners (20%), the private sector (16%), donor organisations (12%), government (10%), development agencies (10%), the media (6%), students (4%) and other (8%).  Many participants affiliated with more than one group, and we recognise that there is significant overlap across categories.

NB: The survey was available in English (# respondents = 91) and French (# respondents = 9). In the future, sportanddev would like to make the survey and analysis available in more languages.

How do users utilise sportanddev?

Over 37% of respondents access the sportanddev website at least once a week. The news and commentary articles and sportanddev.org newsletter remain our most used services, while the massive open online course has also attracted many users. Jobs, new opportunities, the events calendar, social media pages and the toolkit section are also popular with users.

Over 47% of respondents read the newsletter fortnightly (i.e. every time it is released) and 64% of respondents follow sportanddev on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and/or Twitter.

• 83% of respondents have used information on sportanddev in their projects or programmes
• 52% of respondents have attended an event after reading about it on sportanddev
• 24% of respondents have posted a job opportunity, event, article or publication on sportanddev
• 22% of respondents have formed a partnership after reading about that organisation on sportanddev

How do users view sportanddev?

Respondents provided valuable feedback which reinforces the status of the sportanddev platform as the leading information source, networking hub and advocacy space for sport and development:

• 86% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that they feel more informed about developments in the sector because of sportanddev
• 78% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that sportanddev is the leading source of information on sport and development
• Over 76% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that sportanddev has helped them and/or their organisation in their own work

Users also indicated that the platform plays a pivotal role in strengthening the overall field. This is crucial given the need to better strengthen the value proposition of the sport and development sector:

• Over 79% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that sportanddev has been important in helping the sport and development sector grow
• Over 70% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that sportanddev has helped bring voices from the field into higher level policy discussions
• 77% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that sportanddev has been important in helping the sport and development sector gain credibility
• 89% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that they trust the integrity and impartiality of sportanddev

Results also show that users see sportanddev as well positioned to play a greater coordination, leadership and advocacy role in sport and development:

• 96% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that would like to see sportanddev grow and provide more services to its users and stakeholders
• 80% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that sportanddev is well placed to coordinate the diverse range of actors in the sport and development field
• 84% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that sportanddev can help bridge the gap that exists between policy and practice in sport and development
• Over 86% of respondents strongly or mostly agree that they would like to see sportanddev take an even greater leadership position in sport and development
• Over 93% of users strongly or mostly agree that they would like to see sportanddev play a greater advocacy role in the sport and development field

The statistics above provide a snapshot. For greater detail on the responses, please see the full 2021 survey results document here.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey. While we are not able to promise to implement all suggestions made – some are dependent on financial resources – we are community driven, which means we take all suggestions seriously and will carry out as many as possible. To provide feedback and/or suggestions throughout the year, please email [email protected].