Social Psychology within the anti-doping area Baseline statistics and profiles of athletes’ attitude and knowledge An empirical presentation / Göran Svedsäter, Ingemar Wedman
An important objective of the project was to recognize if there are any special attitudes and knowledge profiles between the target groups.
Even though the selection and thereby the database became somewhat smaller than planned, the analyses reveal some interesting tendencies and finds.
The questionnaire confirms that significant differences exist in relation to the age groups junior and senior. This concerns all areas such as attitudes, subjectively experienced knowledge and what is regarded as important in relation to the fight against doping in sport.
In addition, it will be seen that ”region“ is significantly different in relation to most of the areas in the questionnaire. The clearest is the difference within ”personal knowledge” , in particular that Asia/Australia/New Zealand consistently score higher than the other regions.
It also appears from the questionnaire that ”gender” has no significance for how the respondents experience the various statements. This applies to all areas. The majority expresses a clear standpoint/attitude against use of doping in sport. In addition, there is distancing from the use of doping for shorter periods, even if the medical side effects are small. The respondents also express that even though the risk of being discovered is small, they would not use prohibited substances. In addition, the majority of athletes were not willing to use prohibited substances to become a well-known top athlete. In this context it is interesting that the group junior has a less clear anti –doping attitude than the senior group. It also appears that the group juniors has a less restrictive attitude to using doping as a one-off, and as a quick way to becoming well-known top athletes.
Even though the results indicate that the athletes have a clear attitude against doping it is both a concern and a challenge that there is still 10 – 15 % of the respondents who are of another opinion.
One of two athletes experience that the incidence of doping in sport is an increasing problem and that drug abuse in society has an impact on doping in sport. At the same time, approximately half express that attitudes in relation to doping can be influenced. This emphasises the necessity that the phenomenon doping should be both analysed and understood in relation to a sociological and social context.
Within ”personal knowledge” the results show that the group junior is experienced as having less knowledge in relation to all areas than the group senior. Concerning knowledge about doping controls and regulations, this can probably be explained by the fact that seniors have more experience as athletes.
In relation to knowledge about substances, negative effects, nutrition/supplements and not least ethics and fair play, it is disquieting that juniors experience having less knowledge in relation to these areas than seniors. This is a challenge since it is anticipated that knowledge about these areas can have a preventive effect on attitudes and any use of prohibited substances.
Within the area ”Fight against doping in sport” the respondents have given almost identical answers to the questions, and not assigned priorities to the various measures, as was the intention. Probably the respondents answered "how important it (generally) is to do something", and not how or which measures should be emphasised. This part therefore functions less adequately than desired, and has limited the possibility of analyses.
In spite of this, it appears from the material that many (70%) of the respondents express that doping controls both in competition and out of competition are very important for the future fight against doping in sport. The senior group states ”out of competition controls” as the most important measure.
The conclusion is that there exist differences between the age groups in many of the areas which are included in the questionnaire. Efforts should therefore be concentrated on increasing course / education offers for athletes, particularly in relation to the group juniors.
