The project allowed us to conduct an analysis of the relations between sports activity (SA) and social capital (SC) in Poland, as well putting them into the context of innovativeness. It indicates how much SA in Poland contribute to building SC. In particular, people over 40 years old, if involved in sports activity, are more likely to engage in the affairs of communities, activities of organisations.
They also establish and maintain social relations more often. Furthermore, the impact of SA on SC is observable not only in the case of individuals that are directly engaged in the former. A greater number of adults being active translates into a greater number of associations and other organisations with social aims. One should emphasise that the results have been achieved with a use of methods allowing for distinguishing between causal relation (where SA is the reason and SC is the outcome) and correlation (when they influence each other or result from third factors). According to our knowledge, the analyses are the first to have been conducted in a European country with a relatively low level of SA and SC.
While one can find congenial research for children and adolescents living in most developed countries, the relation between the SA and SC of adults has hitherto been subject to few pseudo-experimental analyses. Due to difficulties in identifying strong instruments measuring SA, successful use of the Instrumental Variables estimation has been rare. Our research, by using a dataset precisely describing types of sport facilities, indicates the need for use of detailed data in microeconometric analyses of this kind.
The project can provide inspiration for further research, including studies that would identify the relations between SA (conducted in various forms, organisational setups, etc.) and particular dimensions of SC, as well as long-run outcomes for individuals engaged in SA, as along with the impact of this activity on local communities and society. Since the dimensions of SC that are influenced by SA are, at the same time, those that, according to literature, are significant for the level of innovativeness, one can assess the project results as consistent with an earlier observation of the National Bank of Poland. According to this, the most innovative economies in Europe (e.g. Scandinavian countries or the Netherlands) coincide with greater levels of SC and SA in societies compared to that observed in Central and Eastern European countries (e.g. Poland).
The project outcomes suggest that SA can be an important tool within sustainable social development policies. This is not only the result of health considerations but also its impact on SC accumulation. At the same time, while designing policies supporting SA, one should take into account transforming the social background thereof, which is no longer restricted solely to physical infrastructure or traditional sport clubs.