Speakers
Description
There is an extensive literature that have examined motivation for physical activity. The ‘Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale’ (PALMS) has been frequently used for survey studies on this topic. Most of the studies that utilize the PALMS framework examine motivation for physical activity broadly or within one or a few types of physical activity. However, motivation is likely to vary according to the activity type that one engages in as well as the social background of an individual. Thus, there is a need for studies that examine what role activity type and social background play for adults’ motivation for physical activity. It is the purpose of this study to examine how motivation varies between thirteen different activities, including, e.g., running, walking, fitness, dance, ballgames, while at the same time differentiating motivational differences according to social background. Motivation will be categorized according to the dimensions included in the PALMS framework. To meet this end, regression analyses have been conducted. The data basis for this analysis is a large survey of the Danes’ movement habits, which was conducted in the autumn of 2020. The questionnaire was answered by more than 163,000 adult Danes (15 years and older). The preliminary analysis has demonstrated that even though some forms of motivation are prominent in most activity types and irrespective of social background, their importance vary significantly according to both activity type and social background. Thus, both activity type and social background seem to play an important role for adults’ motives for physical activity.
